Lost And Gone Again
by XxSTriderBAbyXx
Summary: TW smut in later chapters. Sollux Karkat. Kind of depressing. Humanstuck. Multi Chapter.
1. Who

**A/N: First time I've written this kind of story... little slow paced. This is my OTP so please no hate. Homestuck belongs to Andrew Hussie. XX)(XX**

Karkat leaned his head back hitting it against the wall of the shower.

"Fuck." He mumbled to himself. The water ran over his back and it felt warm and comforting. He always loved the shower. It was a nice place to avoid all the problems of his life. He loved feeling clean, warm and safe. The hot water burned his skin as it always had, but he loved it. He loved the small flickers of pain it sent shooting through his body.

The pain had faded as the cold water started its body with the hot water. Karkat reached over and shut off the cold water turning the hot all the way up. It was to hot for his skin, it left bright red bumps where ever it caressed. Karkat ignored it. He remembered the last few nights and looked down at his wrists.

The three dork cuts healing where they were. Karkat frowned. They were going to go away and the memory would disappear with them. He opens the shower curtain, turning off the water and stepping out. He didn't grab the towel; instead he went over to the sink reaching under. Karkat ran his hand along the bottom grabbing the thin handle of the letter opened he had stolen from Crabdad. He got back into the shower, leaving the water off. He closed the curtain and sat down on the bottom of the shower.

He raised the blade to his wrist.

He pulled it over his skin, a trail of red followed quickly after. Karkat did this 4 more times. The already there scars were now split back open and blood was pouring at a steady pace. It ran down his hands and over his knees and legs. The pain was huge, it pulsed through him and burned intensely.

The pain brought on memories. Memories of John. Of how he left Karkat for Dave. He cut another gash across his wrist. They weren't deep enough to kill him. They just hurt and bleed a little. Another memory shot through him. Of how he had walked into John's room to find Dave fucking him into the mattress. Of how they didn't stop even after they saw him standing in the doorway.

Karkat remembered how John moaned Dave's name.

He gashed another cut on his arm, higher up than the others. They had slowed down the bleeding and Karkat stood up. Blood lay in a puddleon the floor of the shower. Karkat turned on the shower and stood under it again. He watched as the red water turned pink, then clear. He got shampoo and washed his hair. He reached for the towel with his sore, throbbing arm and dried off his hair. He wrapped the towel around his waist and walked over to where his clothes lay folded in a pile on the counter. He slid his boxers on and looked in the mirror.

The body and face he saw was scarred and ruined.

He hated it.

He hated that he had ruined so much of everyones lives. He raised his fist and sent it flying through the mirror. It shattered and little peices of reflective glass bounced on the floor. It looked like rain. Blood started dripping onto the counter and Karkat ran the sink. He placed his hand under the cold water. He used his fingers to pull out the larger peices of glass. He threw them away in the trash the continued to pluck out the other, smaller pieces When finished he grabbed his first aid bandage he always used to hide his scars and marks from everyone around him.

He wrapped it around his knuckles and up over his wrist. He wrapped it up higher so it covered his new ones farther up his arm. He then slid on his jeans and grabbed his usual turtle neck and pulled it over his head. It covered his arms down to his wrist. He unlocked the bathroom door and stepped out into the hallway. The lights were off, as they always were. Karkat looked out the window and saw snow.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!"

The snow seemed to have been going for a while now, because it was piled well up over the tires of the blue Chevy out front. Karkat loves the snow but he doesn't like to admit it. Not even to himself.

He took a left down the hallway and into the kitchen. The clock on the stove read 3:34 am. He had been in the shower for for almost 5 hours. Karkat startd mumbling to himself about how Crabdad still wasn't home.

~~~~~In The Past Two Days In The Past To Be Exact~~~~~

Looking out a window was Sollux Captor. He had woken up during the night and was shaking. A feeling in his stomach told him to run to the bathroom. Standing up and covering his mouth holding the discusting fluids in. He has been sick for a while now, but he doesn't care. No one ever paid attention to him anyways. It's not like anyone would care if he just vanished. What's the point in caring for himself if no one else cared.

Once in the bathroom he hits the floor landing right in front of the toilet. His face in the bowl hurling up the only bit of food he had managed to take in over the last month. Coughing as he stands up the pain in his stomach residing.

Tears stream down his face as falls back onto the dark tile of the bathroom.

"I'm just as uncle says I am... Useless."

~~~~~Now Back To The Present My Pretties~~~~~~

Sollux still lays curled up in a ball on the floor of his bathroom. No one has come looking for him. No one was expected to. If anyone was to see him now all they would see is a dead body. But, to Sollux's great regret, he is still alive. his stomach heaved but there was nothing there to explode from his mouth. It had been just over a month and still no one had come looking for him.

"I don't exist, because no one cares."

Sollux doesn't care for himself either. He didn't care to sleep. He didn't care to eat.

His eyes flicker like a candle to the clock and he sighs. Midnight. It had been 37 days now. Sollux rolls onto his back looking out the window across the hall from the bathroom door. The moon was barely visible through the thick clouds. Snow fell at a steady pace from the sky and coated the roof of the house across the way.  
His stomach lurches again and he curls in on himself. "Shit."

~~~~~Across The Way~~~~~

Karkat sat in his kitchen across from the window. The snow fell and Karkat frowned. He stood and walked over to rinse out his cup of tea and place it in the dishwasher. From the window he could clearly see the neighbors dark looming house a single light shining through a small window on the top story.

"Hmm?" It was unusual for another person to be up this late. Karkat cursed at his insomnia.

Something crashes in the other room and Karkat jumps a little at the sudden noise. He walks slowly into the livingroom. On the floor lay the shattered remains of what had once been a lamp. Karkar looked up to the small table where it had once sat to reveal the culprit of the shattered lamp. Troll.  
Troll was the cat that Karkat had been given by Dave and John for Christmas. Karkat bit his lip anger burning in his chest. Not at the cat, but at who gave it to him.  
Karkat walked over to the cat and gently lifted him up into his arms. he scratched gently behind it's ears.

"Hey kitty. Causing chaos as usual I see." He carried him to his fathers bedroom and threw him gently onto the soft mattress. Troll curled up on the bed and purred lightly as Karkat closed the door.

He headed back into the kitchen to retrieve the broom and dustpan. The whole lamp went into the trash.

"Crabdad is gonna kill me for this." He muttered to himself.

Out the livingroom window he could see that the light at the neighbors house was still on. Curiosity got the better of him and he went over to where his shoes sat and slid on his sandles. He opened the door and stepped out into the cold air. He jumped off of his porch his feet sinking into the snow. He shivered as the snow touched his toes. He walked quickly across both his and the neighbors yards and stepped onto the porch. The door bell wasn't to teribly high but Karkat still had to reach up to push it.

'Whoever lives here is going to hate me for all of eternity.'

~~~~~Up The Stairs And With No Soul~~~~~

Sollux sighed when the doorbell went off.

'Who the fuck would be here at this hour? Probably another one of uncles whores.' He thought angerly.

He stood. It was hard because he was so low on energy. He placed his hand on the edge of the sink to help him stay standing and made his way slowly down the stairs to the living room.

~~~~Blarg Bar~~~~~

Karkat still stood on the porch. He turned to leave, thinking that maybe his neighbor was asleep and had just left the light on.  
The door swung open to show Sollux. His hair was a greasy mess, he stunk of puke and sweat and he just looked plain out horrible. Karkat turned to look at him. Karkats face crinkled and his nose bunched up at the smell.

Sollux stared at the short boy a look of surprise on his face. "Wh-" His eyes were still dead but his face was contorted in pain as his stomach tightened in pain. He bent over coughing loudly. It was plain to Karkat the tall man that had opened the door didn't give a shit about himself. Sollux stood back up and looked at Karkat again.

"Who are you? And what do you want?" Sollux's voice was horse and scratchy. His tone mean and hateful. He hunched over again another coughing fit hitting him harder than the last sending him to his knees.

Karkat jumped and crouched down in front of the man. He wasn't one to care for others or to even give any shits, but he wasn't heartless.

"Hey man, are you alright?" Sollux didn't answer but instead stood and stared at the cartet just inside the door to his house. He was holding onto the door like a life line. Sollux spoke again.

"Answer my question. Who are you? And what do you want?"

Karkat also stood again and looked up at Sollux. "My name is Karkat Vantas. I just moved in next door about a month ago and I saw your light on. I came to see if something was wrong." He looked Sollux over again wincing at the sight. "I guess that I was right."

Sollux laughed slightly but it turned into another coughing fit. Karkat jumped forward and grabbed his arm before he could fall to the ground again and pulled him back into the house and over to the couch. He helped him sit down ignoring the smell.

Once Sollux was seated he looked up at Karkat taking a deap breath. His stomach made a noise that reminded him of a dyeing whale. He frowned and looked up at Karkat.

Karkat looked at the sickly man in front of him and laughed a little bit. "I take it that you're hungry?" Karkat got up and walked in the direction of Sollux's kitchen he opened the cupboards to reveal nothing. Absolutely nothing. He opened the fridge. There was only a six pack of beer and a rotting orange. Karkat sighed and went back into the living room. He squatted down getting to eye level with Sollux and looked into his eyes.

"What's your name?"

Sollux looked up an odd look in his eyes. "Sollux Captor." He said quietly.

"Well Sollux, when was the last time you ate?" Karkat asked.  
Sollux grimaced shaking his head. "A few days ago I think..."  
Karkat stood looking around and frowned. "I'll be right back." He opened the door and walked back out into the snow a chill ran down his back as he crossed the two yards and entered his house. He saw that Crabdad still wasn't home and he ran to the fridge. There was some honey bread on the top shelf and he took it out, setting it on a napkin and placing it in the microwave to warm up.

Once it was done Karkat ran across both the yards to Sollux's house. He walked in not caring enough to knock.

Sollux had fallen asleep on the couch and Karkat sat carefully beside him. He shook Sollux's arm to wake him up and laughed quietly at how startled Sollux looked to see him there.

"Didn't think you'd actually come back." Sollux said to Karkat as he took the honey bread. Karkat frowned and stood back up looking around the living room. It wasn't a large room but it wasn't small either. The couch that Sollux sat on appeared to be leather. Across the way there was a large flat screen TV surrounded by at least 15 gaming systems. Pictures covered the walls and Karkat frowned there appeared to be other people in a lot of them.

Karkat walked up to a picture and looked at it.

There was a young girl in a light pink dress. She looked a lot like Sollux. Honey blonde hair, blue eyes, and a soft face. There was no doubt that this girl was Sollux's older sister.

Next to the girl stood a younger Sollux, he was standing on the beach smiling and looking out at the water. He looked to be 7 or 8. Karkat smiled. There was another guy in the picture he appeared to be older than both Sollux and the young girl, maybe 17. He was frowning and looked a bit lost in thought. He looked beyond out of it and was being held onto by another man with a balding head. The man looked happy but in his eyes, even through the picture, you could see anger. Pure rage.

Karkat reached up and touched the picture frame.

"DON'T TOUCH THAT!"

Karkat turned around to face Sollux. Karkat had the face of pure shock.

"Uh..." He crossed his arms, almost shrinking into himself trying to avoid the look of sadness in Sollux's eyes. "Okay."

Sollux sighed and looked away from Karkat. He stood using to arm of the couch to keep his balance.

"I have to go take a shower. Just, um, wait here. I'll be back in a few..." He leaned against the wall and walked up the stairs slowly entering his bathroom and closing the door. A minute or two later Karkat could here the shower running and he shook his head. Karkat sat down on the couch and frowned up at the ceiling.

"What is up with this kid?" He mumbled quietly to himself. "He's so... sick."

Upstairs Sollux stood in the shower. He leaned against the tiled wall and coughed again the pain in his head and chest resonating through his whole body. He became dizzy but he chose to ignore it. Nothing to worry about the walls would stop moving in a minute or two.

Sollux washed his hair thinking to himself.

'He is just some random kid, no one I've ever met before, and he is here, helping me, for no reason. What's his angle?'

Sollux rinsed out his hair and turned off the hot water. He opened the shower door and stepped out of the hot shower. He grabbed a towel quickly drying his hair and wrapping it around his waist. He opened to bathroom door peeking out to make sure that Karkat wasn't standing in the hall or something before stepping out and walking down the hall to his room. He opened his dresser mumbling to himself about being incompetent and pulled on a pair of boxers.

He started feeling dizzy again and this time he couldn't stay standing. He fell to the floor. His head hit the edge of his bed frame and he was sent into a blackout.

Karkat heard a thump and he looked up at the ceiling.

"Hmm..?" He walked over to the stairs and looked up them frowning. "Sollux? You alright up there?" No reply. "Sollux..?" He started to climb the steps quickly. He got to the top of the steps and looked down the long hallway. He could see the bathroom door was open and steam was rolling from the top in clouds of vapor. A little bit farther down the hall a light escaped a small crack from a door. The door was open wide enough for Karkat to see Sollux laying on the floor of his room, passed out.

**A/N: This is the first of many chapters. I spent a looooong time working on this one. There will be more! I promise. I'll try to get the next one up as soon as possible! This is a work in progress.. A hard work in progress. I don't usually leave cliff hangers so don't think it's usual. Anyways... THANKS FOR READING THIS! I promise more chapters. XX)(XX**


	2. What

**A/N: Sorry for the wait. My computer is broken so I have to type on the school computers. It really sucks. But I'm working hard and as fast as I can being as schools almost out. And also THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEWS! ENJOY! :3 XX)(XX**

Karkat bolted down the hall he pushed open the door and bent down pulling Sollux into his lap. There was no blood and Karkat was was beyond glad at that.

"Sollux? Man, are you okay? Wake up!"

Sollux opened his eyes just a little bit. He sat up and looked at Karkat.

"What the hell happened?" He mumbled rubbing at his head. Karkat was still freaking out and he stared at him in wonder and shock.

"I don't really know but it looks like you fell and hit your head." Karkat kind of stumbled over his words. He looked out Sollux's bedroom window to see his house there was lights going on and off in all different rooms of the tall structure. _'Crabdad must be home...'_ He thought as he stood from where he sat. He extended a hand to help Sollux up. Sollux took his hand and Karkat pulled him up. Sollux laughed a bit and Karkat glared up at him.

"What's so funny?" He was almost growling. Sollux laughed again and Karkat's dark brown eyes squinted even more.

Sollux smiled, "I'm laughing because you're so fricking short." He pokes Karkat in the stomach and Karkat jumps backwards with a suprised squeek, "And you're chubby too!"

"NOT FUNNY!" Karkat yelled, "Don't poke me. Ever." He said in a very monotone voice looking at his feet.

Sollux's face dropped into a frown and he nodded a little. "Okay."

Karkat looks out the window again and sighed. "I have to go. It looks like my dad is home and he must be wondering where I am." He looked at the time on his phone and then at Sollux an apologetic look on his face. "I'm sorry... If you want though I guess I could come back..." His words trailed off as Sollux shook his head.

"It looks to me like you're having just as hard a time in life as I am, and you have a family." He was looking at the cuts that were on Karkat's wrists. His shirt had slid up to reveal a few of them and Karkat quickly pulled his sleeve back down. "I have nothing to look forward to when I wake up in the morning. You have everything." Sollux mumbled under his breath, just loud enough for Karkat to hear. Karkat stared at him a shocked look on his face.

"Everything..." Karkat said in a very stressed tone, "You think I have everything... I-I have-" His voice was cut off as Sollux grabbed onto his arm and dragged him from the room. "You don't get it!" Karkat yelled as Sollux pulled him down the stairs. "You don't even know what my life is like! What I have to go through!"

Sollux stopped pulling on his arm halfway down the stairs and he turned looking at Karkat, a snarl on his face, he was enraged. "I don't get it?! I don't get that you have a father, a nice house! A safe house! I bet you have friends! Perhaps a girlfriend! Maybe, I don't know, a life!"

Karkat cringed and frowned, not looking back up at Sollux. "I don't have any of that." He flinched as the memories from earlier came back into his head. "If I did I wouldn't do this." He pulled his sleeve up on his arms. He took in Sollux's sad face as he saw the extent of how bad the cuts are. Karkat turned and walked the rest of the way down the steps, pushing past Sollux. "I'll see you around. I guess."

He ran out the front door and across the two yards. He stopped once he was on his front porch. He took a deep breath trying to cool his nerves.

_'What is up with that kid! Thinking he knows how my life is. thinking that it's perfect.' _He was furious then realization hit him like a brick _'If I was perfect then John wouldn't have cheated on me...'_

He opened the front door to his house and stepped in. Crabdad peaked his head around the corner, smiling. "There you are. I was looking everywhere for you!" He plopped a grape in his mouth from the small snack bag that he held. "By the way... Where were you?"

Karkat frowned and looked at his dad as if he was an idiot. "I was at the neighbors."

Crabdad tilted his head to the side and frowned. "At 2:30 in the morning?"

Karkat growled, "Obviously! Why else would I have just walked into the house from there just now. By god. And what about you? How was your date?"

Crabdad laughed, "It was just lovely. To bad my date didn't show up." He smiled again, and Karkat wondered how his dad could handle rejection so well.

Karkat shook his head and walked over to his father. He plucked a grape from the bag and headed up the stairs. "I don't think I'm going to get any sleep so I'm going to get some snow clothes on and go build a snow man in all that fricking fluffy shit outside." He laughed a bit as he ran up the stairs two at a time.

Once in his room he pulled out the marshmallow coat from where it was in his closet. He zipped it up and got some gloves from his dresser drawer and headed back down the stairs and to the living room. His father sat on the couch with a beer in his hand. He was still eating the grapes and was petting Troll. "Hey dad. You wanna help me build a snow man?"

Crabda looked at his beer before laughing, "Why not? Just give me a minute to put on something warmer than these jeans." He stood up and went down the hall to his room a few minutes later he came back into the livingroom wearing almost the exact same thing a Karkat. "Let's go."

The snow had slowed down and Karkat laughed a little bit. He turned towards his dad. "I love the snow." He shivered and laughed again, "No matter how much of a bitch it is." He jumped off the front porch landing in a large pile of snow. He grabbed a handful of the snow and rolled it into a ball. He started scooting it across the the ground and watched as it grew. He sent it rolling down a small hill and he stopped to shave off the edges and pat it compacting it down.

After a few minutes the ball Karkat had rolled was up to his waist and he stopped. Mainly because he couldn't push it anymore.

"Think this will be a good base?" He asked Crabdad as he took off his gloves to push his hair back on his head. He yawned and wiped the snow off of his coat. Crabdad looked over at his and smiled he had been rolling a smaller ball and he nodded.

"Yep that will be perfect!" He rolled the second ball over and using both his and Karkat's muscles lifted the ball up and set it on the larger one. The half built snowman was just about as tall as Karkat now. Karkat looked over at his dad, who was lucky and was about 5'10. Karkat had gotten the short end of the stick and hated that he was short short short.

Karkat started another ball and Crabdad went into the house to get a scarf and and some other snow man stuff. The sky was turning grey as the sun started to show over the herizon. Karkat finished the head and picked it up it was a little difficult for him to get it up where it belonged because of his height but he managed to get it up there anyways. Crabdad walked back outside and dressed the snowman up how he should be.

Karkat heard a car engine and he turned to see a dark blue SUV turn down the road. It almost scared Karkat to see a car that big, he wasn't used to it. He watched as it drove down the road. He waited for it to pass his house but it turned into Sollux's driveway instead. Karkat snickered to himself.

_'Looks like the crazy guy is getting a ride to the insane asylum.'_

Karkat laughed again as he watched a big guy get out of the vehicle. The man had a slightly balding head and a shaved face. He looked to be in his late forties.

Crabdad smiled down at his son and backed up and away from the finished snowman. "Hows it look to you son?" He asked.

Karkat looked away for just a second to see the huge snowman. "Looks good but it's so tall." Karkat looked back over to the guy who was now walking up to Sollux's house. Karkat wanted to see the ungrateful bastard get dragged out of the house and taken away. Karkat waited for the man to knock on the door but instead of knocking the man just walked in. Karkat stood there, a dumbfounded look on his face.

'_Sollux's dad? He acted as if he didn't have one... As if he didn't have anyone.. What the fuck is going on here?! He has a dad and he's saying that I'm lucky to have one... What the fuck?!'_

Karkat felt his fathers strong hand on his shoulder and he looked up to see his fathers worried face. "Is something wrong? You look like you just ate a bucket of bad crab." Crabdad looked over to where Karkat had been and his frown grew. "Is that the neighbors house you were at?" Karkat nodded and bit his lip. He was confused and he wanted to know what Sollux's breakdown had been about earlier. _'He must be insane?!'_

Karkat Ran a hand through his hair. It was way to fucking early to still be awake. "Let's go inside it's cold." Karkat heard a scream and something shattered. Karkat looked over his shoulder at the house and, when he didn't hear anything else, he walked back into his house.

Once he was inside he took his coat off and set it on the couch. He walked into the kitchen and pulled down some hot cocoa mix. "Dad! Do you want some cocoa?"

"No I'm good but bring me a beer would you?" His dad called back from the living room where he was removing his boots. Karkat shook his head and got a beer from the fridge. He walked it out to his dad and handed it to him.

"I don't think you should be drinking this stuff so early..." Crabdad glared at Karkat as he took the beer. He popped the top and took a deep drink he smiled up at his son and laughed cruelly.

"I'll drink it if I want." Karkat glared right back and he yawned. "When was the last time you slept?" Crabdad asked.

Karkat shook his head. "Thursday night." Karkat walked back into the kitchen and warmed up some milk on the stove. He stood there stirring it slowly. his mind drifted off into a soft fuzzy blur of grey. After a moment he turned off the stove and poured the milk into a mug he scooped some cocoa into the cup and stirred it in. the milk went from white to brown. He got some marshmallows from the cupboard and plopped three into the cup. He sipped at it slowly as he walked into the living room. He sat on the couch next to his dad and stared blankly at the screen of the television. His confusion from earlier was still stuck in his mind as he heard his father drift into a deep sleep, his snoring making Karkat go even deeper into his mind.

_'Why did Sollux flip out on me when i told him he didn't get it? Better yet, why did he act like he did? He doesn't know me! He has no clue what I have to go through! He doesn't know about my mom! He doesn't know about anything!' _Sollux's earlier words came back to him.

_' I don't get that you have a father, a nice house! A safe house! I bet you have friends! Perhaps a girlfriend!'_

Karkat snickered, _'A girlfriend! What an idiot! He doesn't know a thing about me! He doesn't know about John...'_

His thoughts trailed off as memories of John stung him like an angry bee. His laugh. It would echo deep and loud when they were together. How talented he was with his art and his music. Karkat remembered the day him and John had first met.

Karkat had been transferred into another school for fighting and his locker partner had been John. The first day Karkat had been told to sit next to him during English. They did nothing in that class because the teacher was a crazy drunk and always gave them an A anyways. Karkat had been reading The Notebook and when the bell rang he had felt a paper be placed on his head. It had been an amazing drawing of Karkat sitting and reading a peaceful look on his face.

Achill ran down Karkat's back. He still had that picture in a drawer in his room.

**A/N: This took me WAYYYYYY to long to write and I'm sorry that it's so short..****. Yes I do want to type more often but it's really hard for me with a broken computer. Anyways love you guys. I'll keep posting when I can. Lovi****ng the reviews. :3 XX)(XX**


	3. Where

**I have so much to do. But I mustn't stop writing! So sorry it's short and it took so long to get up. I've been really busy with my new prodject for the summer! So please ENJOY! XX)(XX**

Karkat and Crabdad climbed into his truck. The day had continued and it still had yet to stop snowing. The mounds of snow had been so enticing that they had decided to go to their cabin a few miles south of town. Karkat had thrown their sleds into the back of his truck and they were now driving down the highway.

The snow fell silently around the truck. Karkat had to drive slowly because he had yet to get chains on his tires. The sun was up but you couldn't see it through the thick grey clouds that shifted across the sky. Karkat weaved in and out of traffic, the cars behind him honking. Even though he was being careful Karkat couldn't help but drive like this. In the passenger seat Crabdad sighed. He hated how his son drives. Karkat sees the exit he needs to take and pulls quickly off the highway. The road got thinner and it eventually turned into a logging road. trees lined each side and snow-covered the bare branches. Karkat pulled up in front of a small, one story, cabin and turned off the engine to his truck.

He climbed down from his seat and walked around to the back of the truck to grab the sleds for him and his father. Crabdad had taken his sled from Karkat and was already walking towards the hills that rested behind the cabin away from most of the trees. What had happened earlier that day played like a video in his head.

T~XX~H~XX~T

Karkat had been driving downtown, the snow had stopped for just a few moments and Karkat had wanted to go get some coffee from the cafe that everyone in town loved. He had ordered a large white coffee with caramel, whipped cream and almond slices. He was spacing off again and as he went to walk out the door of the cafe he had ran into someone. Hot coffee went everywhere burning his skin through his coat.

"Fuck!" He had yelled trying to wipe the hot liquid off the front of his coat. He looked up at the guy who had bumped into him. "Watch where you're going why-" Karkat stopped short of his rant because the person in front of him was a little bit of a shock.

"Hello to you too KK." Karkat stumbled backwards a little bit before stopping and composing himself.

"Hi Sollux." Karkat walked past him and out the door of the cafe. He wasn't in the mood to deal with Sollux and his insanity.

The icy air bit at Karkat's nose as we walked back to his truck. He reached up to open the door and felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Sollux standing there his cheeks flushed red and his breath coming out in little clouds. "I just wanted to apologize for what I had said earlier... I had no right to make assumptions about your life." Sollux had a look of pure sincerity in his eyes.

Karkat nodded his head. "Okay. Fine. You're forgiven."

Sollux smiled and laughed. A breeze whipped past the boys, Sollux's honey colored hair flew around becoming astray. Karkat shivered and Sollux laughed again. "How about I replace that spilled coffee?" Sollux said. Karkat nodded again opening the truck door. He slid out of his marshmallow coat and reached into the back seat pulling out a thin sweat shirt and putting that on in place of his coat.

"Okay. Fine by me." Him and Sollux walked back into the café. They got their coffee's and took a seat at a table. Karkat sipped at his coffee quietly while Sollux sat there and smiled like an idiot. "What are you looking at!" Karkat said he was frustrated with the eyes on him.

Sollux snickered, "Nothing..." Sollux laughed and took a drink of his coffee. "I never got to thank you for helping me last night..." He was frowning and Karkat looked up at him again trying to avoid eye contact while looking him over.

"It's not a big deal. You seemed like you were in a bad place." Karkat remembered the scabs and cuts that covered his arms. "But um... What did happen to you? Why were you in such bad shape?" Karkat was curious and asking didn't seem like such a big deal to him.

He was not expecting the response he received.

"I have been abandoned. I thought that no one would come. That no one payed enough attention to me to realize I was gone. No one from school came looking for me. No one called." Sollux was staring at the table a soft, sad smile on his face. "I was shocked that someone had come to check on me. Even if they didn't know who I was. What was going showed me that at least one person cared enough to help."

Karkat stared at him in shock. "I-I didn't know. I didn't think that you had a life like that." Karkat remembered what Sollux had said, about how stupid it wa that he was cutting, about how he had a life a father. "But you said I was lucky to have family and friends, but you do too. I saw your father go into the house early this morning."

Sollux flinched and shook his head back and forth quickly. "A father... My father died years ago."

Karkat cocked his head to the side, "Then who was it I saw go inside?"

"That was my uncle." Sollux was now looking at Karkat and he could see the anger and sadness that the subject of his uncle brought in his eyes.

"Oh, well I'm sorry then." Karkat had kind of shank in on himself. He buried his face up to his nose in his turtle neck.

Sollux laughed and Karkat looked up at him. "What?"

"You're kinda cute like that.." Karkat blushed bright red.

"I'm not cute!"

"Then what word can I use to describe what I am seeing as adorable?" Sollux asked beaming at Karkat's angry rainbow colored face.

Karkat thought for a moment his embarrassment fading away a little bit. "Adorabloodthirsty." He mumbled just barely loud enough for Sollux to hear.

Sollux laughed loudly and a couple sitting across the aisle glared at them. "Fine. Adorabloodthirsty it is!" Karkat frowned and buried his face in his shirt again. Sollux looked at him. "How old are you?"

"17." Karkat said plainly.

Sollux frowned and tilted his head to the side. "What school do you go to? Didn't you like just move in next door?" He pulled his phone out of his pocket to check the time, his frown only grew.

Karkat nodded his head. "I'll be going to Sburb high. I'm a Junior. And yes I just moved in, right after winter break started."

Sollux was beaming again. "You'll be attending my school! And by my school I mean _my school__._" He stood dumping his now empty cup in the trash. "I'll see you at school then! I gotta run!" Sollux left Karkat sitting there confused out of his mind.

XxTVIwIVTxX

Karkat threw his sled down onto the deep pile of snow at the top of the hill. He shook his head as he sat down and slid down the hill. Joy was an emotion Karkat rarely felt and it now filled his heart as he slid quickly down the hill.

_What did he mean? His school. He couldn't... He couldn't possibly, own the school... Could he?_

"Ahh!" Karkat yelled as he came to the bottom of the hill. Crabdad stood there paying no attention to what was going on. His dad turned and saw that Karkat was about to run him over and quickly stumbled out of the way. Karkat laughed, but screamed as he ran into a tree. His head hit the wood and he fell backwards into the snow. Crabdad came running over, a worried look on his face.

"Karkat?" Crabdad knelt beside him as Karkat sat up rubbing his head. "Are you alright?"

Karkat nodded his head, it wasn't even throbbing. "Yeah. I'm fine." Karkat and his father stood up and grabbed his sled. A shiver ran up and down his spine as the wind whipped by. Karkat's black hair flipped to the side going into his eyes. "Hey, you wanna go inside and have some hot cocoa?" His dad nodded his head and Karkat started his walk back up the steep hill towards the cabin.

"Hey dad?"

"Yeah?" His dad mumbled. He was usually really grouchy and complained a lot, but today he was quiet. Karkat just pushed it out of his mind.

"The neighbors, have you met them?" Karkat asked this while staring at the snow.

"Yeah. I met Mr. Captor the other day. He runs a big firm, you know, uh, Sburb. The really big company that owns like everything around this town, they own the school that you'll be attending. Maybe you'll find a girlfriend there! I know that you've been having some hard times since new years. What happened by the way. I know you were dating someone who was it? Can I know her name?"

Karkat was a little shocked that his father said so much as his reply. He didn't think that he was showing his depression.

"My-my ex?" Karkat stumbled over the words.

"Yeah. I want to know what her name is. You never let me meet her, or told me her name." Crabdad said his words with a slight chatter because of the cold.

Karkat smiled and shivered himself. "I might tell you later but first, I want some poptarts and cocoa." He ran over the top of the hill and in the direction of the cabin. The door was left unlocked because they had no reason to lock it, being as the cabin was in the middle of no where. Karkat went in and opened the cupboards grabbing the pan that was on the bottom shelf and ran back out to his truck. Before him and Crabdad had left Karkat had thrown a carton of milk in the cooler that he kept in the back of his truck. He grabbed that and the cocoa from inside and put some milk in the pan to warm up.

As he poured the milk and cocoa into mugs, Karkat could hear his dad in by the front door taking off his boots.

_I guess I have to come out sooner or later. Might as well be now..._

Karkat set the cocoa on the small table under the kitchen window and sat down. He sipped at his amazing chocolate drink and waited for his father to sit down. Crabdad took the seat across from him and Karkat frowned staring into his cup. "Dad, umm, I guess I need to tell you something..." Karkat looked up setting down his cup and crossing his arms.

"What is it?" Karkat could hear the curious tone to his fathers voice and he cleared his throat.

"Um you know how I never told you my girlfriends name...?"

"Yeah..."

"Well, um.." Karkat felt as if he was choking. _Please don't hate me,_ was the only thing he could think of. "It's because, well um you see..."

"Just spit it out will you!" Crabdad sounded frustrated and Karkat could tell he really wanted to know.

"I never had a girlfriend! I had a boyfriend! I was dating John! you know John fucking Egbert! You know! He would stay the night all the time!" Karkat said that all in one breath and a tear streamed down his cheek slowly. "I'm gay, dad." He said in a hushed tone.

Crabdad just sat there nodding his head slowly. "Okay then." He stood up and walked over to his son hugging him. "I'm glad that you told me that!"

Karkat was a little bit shocked that his dad didn't try to strangle him but he was also glad that his dad didn't hate him.

"Thank god I'm glad you don't hate me!" Karkat sat shivering in his chair his face bright red and his head throbbing.

Crabdad laughed. "You're my son. I don't think it's possible for me to hate you. Ever!" Karkat smiled and sipped at his cocoa as Crabdad sat back down in his chair. "So, um, what happened to your relationship with John then?"

Karkat shivered and stared blankly at the table. Memories from the other day burning holes in his skull. "I-I wouldn't, have sex with him and he-he..." His voice trails of into a choked out sob. "He is a fucking cheating bastard!" Karkat yelled and buried his face in his hands! "I let myself love him and then he went and slept with his best friend! I am such an idiot!"

Crabdad sat across from him awkwardly. "Um... Wow." He mumbled. "I didn't know. I thought he was a nice boy. I guess I was wrong."

Karkat laughs, but not because he was amused. "You think." He had finished his cocoa and he stood placing his empty cup in the sink. The sun outside had started to set even though it was only like 4:30 and Karkat turned to face his dad again. "We should head home..." Crabdad nodded and Karkat grabbed his keys and the sleds from where they leaned against the wall. He put back on his boots and him and Crabdad went out to the truck. They got in and Karkat turned it on turning the heater up all the way rubbing his hands together trying to warm them up. He pulled out from in front of the cabin and drove down the long driveway and he pulled out onto the highway.

The drive was long and silent. It was a little awkward because Karkat couldn't stop looking over at his dad who was holding onto the sides of his seat like his like depended on it. Karkat just shook his head as he pulled onto his street.

"Dad. You know that I'm not going to crash will you please relax?" Crabdad nodded his head and Karkat slowed down just a tad. He laughed as he got closer to the curb so he could pull into the driveway. He hit the gas just a little bit and his dad made a fearful squeak and Karkat laughed again. "Seriously old man! Rela-"

The truck slid across the road and Karkat freaked out. He was trying to stay calm as he tried to get the truck back under his control. It slid across the street and he pumped the gas like he was taught to. He felt it hit the curb and the next thing he knew he was rolling across yards. He was upside down. Once, twice, three times. He flipped once more and the car finally stopped.


	4. Why

Karkat sat up the shock from the crash made his body numb. His ears were ringing and his head throbbing. Crabdad was still in his seat and there was a little blood dripping from his forehead.

"Dad?" Karkat croaked. He didn't move and Karkat saw that he was unconscious. Karkat looked out the window to see where they had landed. The truck had crashed between his and Sollux's house. Karkat could see that the kitchen light was on and Karkat started yelling. "Help!" A pain in his chest made him want to scream. He looked down to see a piece of glass the size of his middle finger stuck in his chest. He flinched and tried to sit up a little but he couldn't because it hurt to much. Karkat just yelled again trying to see if someone was coming. The pain in his chest took away from the energy he didn't have. He saw someone look out of his neighbors window and Karkat yelled one more time before blacking out.

Everything after that Karkat saw in flashes of consciousness.

He heard snow being crushed under bare feet and his name being called. He heard a phone call being made and a mans panicked voice.

Blackness.

He heard sirens and then the brakes on the ambulance. He could see the flashing lights of police cars and fire trucks on the snow around the wreckage. He saw a fire man come over to the half shatter windshield and pull what was left off of it. He could feel himself being dragged from the twisted and broken truck. He could feel the pain pulsing through his body. He wanted to scream out in pain but he didn't have the energy to do more than groan.

Blackness.

Karkat woke up in a hospital bed. There was beeping coming from a monitor beside him and he guessed it was to track his heart. His head was throbbing and the bright white lights that hung from the ceiling didn't help. He sat up a little bit and flinched at the sharp, stabbing pain the shot through his chest and made him feel like he was out of breath. A hand on his arm pushed him back onto the bed.

"Calm down and relax, will you." Karkat looked over to see that Sollux sat in an ugly wooden chair beside the bed that he lay in.

"I'm in a hospital." Karkat said simply.

Sollux snickered and looked at Karkat as if he was an idiot. "Of course you are. You got in a wreck. You need to stay here. You need to relax."

Karkat shook his head and sat up slowly, clenching his teeth to avoid making any noise because of the pain. "I don't _need _to do any of those things. I _need _ to get out of here." He threw the covers off of his lap and stood up. The ugly blue scrubs one of the nurses must have put on him hung low on his hips and he didn't have a shirt on. The bandage around his chest and shoulder had a little bit of blood on it but Karkat just wanted to get out of the hospital. He didn't have an IV needle in his arm and he was glad because he hated needles but he did have a heart monitor sticker in his chest and he ripped that off throwing it down on the ground. The steady beeping turned into a loud buzz and half a second later a nurse came rushing in.

"Mr. Vantas. I'm going to have to ask you to sit down. Please. You're still in bad shape from the crash." She said as she walked across the room. She was older with thick round glasses. Karkat caught a glimpse at her name tag and frowned before screaming and falling backwards onto the bed and scooting across it.

"Get away from me! Don't touch me!" He screamed again and fell backwards off the bed. The nurse stopped where she was and Sollux stood up from his chair squatting down on the floor next to Karkat. Memories hit Karkat in waves. The cut him like he was cake. It burned and hurt and he wanted them gone.

"KK? Why are freaking out?" Sollux asked softly a worried look on his face.

"I-it's Nanna." Karkat mumbled. He had stopped screaming and had his back pressed against the wall tears were streaming down his cheeks. He had over reacted to seeing her. He had over reacted a lot but he didn't want to see her or John ever again and now there she was right in front of him. He didn't want to know how he would react to seeing John.

Realization crossed the nurses face and she frowned. "Oh, you're John's boyfriend! I didn't recognize you with all those bruises! Why did you scream when you saw me through?"

Karkat shook his head, more tears were streaming down his face now and he buried his face in his hands. "Please go away. I don't have anything against you. It's John. I-I hate him. He cheated on me! I'm not his boyfriend anymore! So please, just go! Please Jane. The memories hurt." The memory of the time she took Karkat and John to Hawaii came to his head and he flinched.

Jane shook her head and Karkat looked up at her. "I can't go because I was sent in here to do my job and you'll have to deal with it!"

Karkat stood up, Sollux stood too and gripped on Karkat's arm. Karkat didn't shake him off and instead leaned into him as a support. He was tired again but there was no way he was going to stay at the hospital. "I'm going home so there is no job for you to do here." Karkat continued to lean against Sollux as they walked out of the room and out of the hospital. Sollux didn't say anything until they were out the front doors.

Karkat spotted a bench and he walked over to it sitting down and tilting his head back his eyes closed. Sollux sat next so him. He had let go of Karkat's arm and he took a deep breath. Karkat had stopped crying and he wiped at his cheeks. He had bare no shoes on and was still shirtless. He opened his eyes and looked down at his bare chest. His eyes trailed down to his left forearm. The scars and cuts were now also covered in bruises, he poked at them and frowned at the dull but throbbing pain. He felt a warm weight on his shoulders and looked up. Sollux had taken off his coat and placed in over Karkat's bare back.

Karkat didn't smile or say thank you, he just sat there staring at Sollux, confused at the kind act.

Sollux stared out at the snow covered road. "You're gay?" He didn't look at him didn't show any emotion just asked the question in a monotone voice.

Karkat nodded his head and stared at his lap. "Yep."

"And you dated Miss Crocker's Grandson?"

"Yep."

"And he cheated on you?"

Karkat nodded.

Sollux was silent and Karkat was too they just sat there in the cold. They said nothing did nothing. I was late, or rather early, almost 4 in the morning. "School starts back up tomorrow. I don't think that you are going to be able to go."

Karkat shook his head. "I'll be going. I'm not missing my first day at a new school. That wouldn't look good." Sollux laughed and Karkat smiled a little bit.

"Okay but I don't think it's going to be a good idea." Sollux said. He was smiling too and shaking his head back and forth.

Karkat stood up. "I need some coffee. Come on there's a cafe just down the road from here." He started walking the snow crunching under his feet. Sollux grabbed his arm to stop him.

"You're wearing scrubs and my coat. Are you sure you want to go in that?" Karkat looked down at what he was wearing and shrugged.

"The cafe isn't technically open for another 3 hours. My friend Terezi runs it with her big sister. It will be empty but they get there every morning at like 3:30, so I'm not worried about it." He continued walking and Sollux caught up walking with him. They walked in a comfortable silence, Karkat holding Sollux's coat close around his body and in just a a few minutes they reached the cafe.

The light in the back office was on but the rest of them were off. Karkat walked in, he knew the door was unlocked because the girls had to be in back. The door closed behind them and they were enveloped in the warmth of the dark cafe. "Terezi?" Karkat took a few steps in and looked around. He couldn't see very much being as it was dark. "Terezi! Are you here? Latula?" No one came out from the back and Karkat frowns. A chill runs down his back and he walks quickly towards the back office. He peaks his head around the corner.

Right inside the door was a pile of boxes and a ton of empty coffee cans. The sisters desk had Latula's turquoise laptop, open only halfway the screen lit up. papers were scattered across the desk and her skateboard on the chair. Karkat turned around to face Sollux.

"Are they not here?" Sollux asked. Karkat shook his head and looked up at the ceiling. Large wooden beams ran across the top of the cafe making the building look older than it really is. Chandeliers fixed with light bulbs hung from the beams and made the cafe look beautiful and like a scene from Harry Potter. Karkat saw something move right above them and he jumped backwards. Half a second later someone stood in front of him.

The girl was about 17. She had shoulder length dark brown hair. She wore bright red glasses and a aqua button up shirt. The had a red tie hanging around her neck and a pair of red leggings under a pair of white short shorts and a pair of white combat boots. In her hand was a red dragon walking cane with a blade sticking from the end. That blade was pointed at Sollux.

"Hello to you too, Terezi! Can you put the blade away!" Karkat said to her. He was scared that she might stab Sollux otherwise.

"Who is he? And fine, but only because you brought him in." She pushes a button and the blade sheaths itself. Terezi leans on the cane and Sollux lets out the breath he mush have been holding in. Karkat just laughs.

"How about you two introduce yourselves. I'm going to turn on the lights. Why don't you turn them on when you come in. It's really annoying." Karkat walks over to where the light switch is behind the counter and flips it on.

Terezi snickers and then smiles. "I don't need them so there's no point in turning them on and running the electric bill." She turns towards Sollux and smiles demonically, holding out her hand for him to shake. "I'm Terezi Pyrope! Co-owner of Redglare Cafe! Nice to meet you!"

Sollux shakes her hand and smiles a little bit. "Sollux Captor, successor of Sburb. Nice to meet you too even though you put a knife in my face." He laughs and steps back.

Karkat walks back over to them and wraps a arm around Terezi's shoulders. He smiles up and Sollux. "This girl is my best friend. Actually her sister is married to my older brother Kankri." He frowns and glances at the back office. "By the way where is Latula?"

"I'm here!" Everyone turns to see Latula opening the front door with her foot her arms full of boxes. Karkat ran over and took a few from her. They walked over and set them on the from counter Karkat opened one of the boxes to reveal a million little coffee straws. "We were running low!" Latula was smiling at Karkat with a motherly look and he laughs. This was one of the few places Karkat felt at home. It relaxed him and calmed his nerves.

"Hey Karkat?" Karkat turned and looked at Terezi a question mark was all but plastered on her worried face. "Why are you covered in bruises?" Karkat looked down at his stomach and arms. He had forgotten that he didn't have anything covering his scarred arm. He quickly slid his arms into Sollux's coat and frowned.

"I just got into a car crash. With dad." Karkat gasped and turned towards Sollux. "Oh my god! I'm such a horrible son! My dad! Is he okay!?" Sollux nodded his head.

"Yeah he's fine. Just a small cut on his head and some bruises. The doctors gave him some pills that make him sleep so I drove him back to your place." Sollux f answered.

Latula looked at Karkat and smiled. If he's at home he's probably fine don't worry about it. Okay?" Karkat nods and smiles again.

Terezi still wasn't smiling as she took a seat at the closest table. "Karkat that's not all. Tell us what you did to your arm." Karkat's face drops and goes ghostly white. Sollux cocks his head to the side and then he remembers the cuts that cover Karkat's left arm. The cuts that he had put there. Karkat looks at Sollux a look of pure distress on his face. Sollux comes up with a quick story to help cover it up.

"He was helping me do some remodeling in my bedroom and we were tearing out a wall and he leaned up against it. It fell apart and he landed on a box of nails and shit. his arm got all sorts of cut up. It sucked. Quite a bit of blood."

Terezi didn't seem convinced but Latula nodded slowly turning to face Karkat. "Is that true Karkat?" Karkat nodded his head.

"Pretty pathetic isn't it?" He looked all embarrassed and pulled off the lie with a clean finish.

Latula laughed and smiled. "Okay then! Who wants some coffee!" Karkat raised his hand and Sollux followed suit. Latula went behind the counter and wipped together four cups of coffee that smelled like heaven. She brought it out and set them on the table Terezi sat at. The group sat down Karkat and Sollux on one side and Terezi and Latula on the other.

Sollux took a sip of the coffee and smiled like an idiot. "This is the best coffee I have ever had!"

The group spent the next hour talking. About almost anything.

Sollux found out that the sisters had two other employees, names Tavros and Aradia. Sollux knew Aradia as a matter of fact he had dated Aradia.

"I know Aradia really well actually. I dated he for almost two years. We're still really good friends. It wasn't a bad break up we had just realized we were more like family than lovers. She's a really sweet girl." Sollux said a smile never leaving his face.

Latula smiled but arched her eyebrows. "How old are you? You don't look that old."

Sollux smiled. "I'm a senior this year. Thank god I get to graduate! I had all my credits last year but I didn't want to graduate because I was in a... complicated situation at the moment so I have been able to spend this year is any classes I want for college credit. I mainly spend my days in the computer labs and helping out the teachers. Showing new students around stuff like that. I can sit in on any class I want any day I want." Sollux's answer was a little lengthy and he smiled shyly. Everyone just left and smiled at him.

"I'm a junior so I won't be graduating till next year." Karkat sighed and laughed again. "I'm so glad that I'll be starting at a new school. It means that I get a new choice of guys. Oh that reminds me. I came out to Crabdad!" Terezi and Latula smile and start clapping.

"Congratulations! We have one less closet case in our family! Yeah!" Latula woops and hollers while fist pumping. Terezi sits there giggling and then she drubs Karkat on the head with her cane. Karkat just shrugs then glares at Terezi for the cane drubbings.

Karkat bursts out laughing. He was really enjoying himself and even Sollux could tell he was having fun. The front door opening catches everyone's attention. A boy with a mo-hawk wearing a brown shirt and another unbuttoned grey one over that was holding the door open for a girl with auburn hair falling in thick waves down to her waist. She wore a knee length black shirt and a bright red shirt. Sollux stood up as the door closed. The girl spotted him and dropped her purse running across the cafe squealing. "Sollux!" She ran into his arms in a flurry of hair and skirt.

"Hello to you too Aradia. Long time no see." Karkat stood up and smiled at he. He brofisted the guy that must be Tavros and smiled at the Pyrope sisters.

"Well, you guys obviously have to get to work. So I think It's time we get going?" Sollux nodded and hugged Aradia once more before the two men left the cafe. The walk back to the hospital was short and the boys continued to talk about stupid shit. Mainly about some new video game that had just come out. It was another boring racing game that was getting good reviews from stupid people.

Sollux had left his car at the hospital. It was a huge green Hummer and Karkat couldn't stop laughing. "You drive a gas guzzler!" He climbed into the front seat and Sollux laughed with him.

As he started the car he smiled and said, "I know I drive a gas guzzler but I don't drive it a lot. I walk almost everywhere I go."

Karkat nodded his head, "Understandable. We do live in a descent sized town not to big. So I guess that could be considered admirable but normal."

They didn't talk but Sollux popped in a CD and turned it up. It was Comatose by Skillet. Karkat listened to the music and relaxed a little. He really did enjoy visiting Terezi and Latula. It was relaxing in a sense. Karkat had closed his eyes and had drifted off a bit.

When he felt the car stop and the engine die he jumped awake. He was in Sollux's driveway and Karkat unbuckled. He turned in his seat to face Sollux. "I'm going to go sleep. I need it. Will you walk to school with me tomorrow?" Sollux nodded and the boys jumped out of the gas guzzler.

"I'll see you tomorrow!" Karkat said as he walked across the snow covered grass. He stopped before he got to his porch and turned around. "Sollux!" Sollux turned to face him and Karkat slid his coat from around his shoulders. "Here!" He threw it to him and waved one last time before stepping into his house.

Crabdad was passed out on the couch a beer still in his hand. Karkat grabbed the beer from him and threw a blanket over his dad before heading upstairs to his room. He ripped off the scrubs and threw their blue ugliness in the trash. He didn't have boxers on so he dug through his dresser till he found a pair of grey ones and slid those on. He crawled under the covers and pulled the blanket up over his head.

He slept through the entire day.

**A/N: Took me only 18 hours and 43 minutes to type this one. It's pretty long I guess. Anyways. I was wondering if Some one wanted to do some fan art for me I would love it! I'd tag you for some fan art credit if you send it to me through PM! ANYWAYS... Thank you for reading! I'll get my next chapter up soon I promise! XX))((XX**


	5. How

**A/N: I hope you guys like this chapter! ********I had fun writing it, stayed up all night typing... And I am exhausted. I'll of course put more up soon! I always do. And yes I promise that there will be some amazing Sollux Karkat soon! So just be patient! **Enjoy all my beautiful, readers! **:3 XX))((XX**

Karkat rolled over onto his stomach the sky was still dark outside his window and he yawned. The clock on the table beside his bed read 6:03 am. Karkat shook his head. He had slept all through Sunday and today he would be starting at his new school. He wasn't looking forward to it. He never liked moving schools. Moving houses was a different thing. But moving schools... He had to make new friends, get used to the way new teachers teach classes.

Karkat sighed and stood up from his bed throwing his blankets in a pile on his pillow. He flipped on his light and walked over to his dresser digging through it and grabbing his usual grey skinny jeans before walking over to the closet. He reaches up to the top and pulls down a box opening it and grabbing a few first aid bandages before grabbing a plain black shirt and heading down the hall to his bathroom.

He turns on the shower and lets the water run as he stands in front of the newly replaced mirror, Crabdad must have gotten a new one, and slowly unwrapping the bandage from around his chest. A red line comes into view. It is stitched together with five little stitches and is slightly swollen. Karkat gently traces it with his finger, he clenches his teeth. It still hurt and Karkat took a moment to examine the rest of his body. He had bruises all up and down the left side of his body. He had a few scratches on his legs and what looked to be another set of stitches just to the right of his navel.

"How did I not notice those earlier?" Karkat said aloud his voice was scratchy and it cracked on the last word. He was loosing his voice and he scowled at himself in the mirror. Karkat walked over to the shower stripping off his boxers and throwing them in the hamper. He stepped in and relaxed as the hot water caresses his body. He flinches and pushes his mind past the sharp pain the resonates through him as the hot water runs over his cuts and stitches from the wreck. After a moment though the pain disappears and Karkat washes his hair. He goes through the steps that are taken during a shower and stands under the water for another 20 minutes or so. Altogether the shower was probably about an hour long.

Karkat shuts off the water and steps out onto the tiled floor of his bathroom. The steam from his shower hung in the air making the light coming from the ceiling look eery and ghost-like. Karkat grabbed a towel from the pantry and dried of his hair and body and throwing it into the hamper. He slid on the clothes he had grabbed earlier on and stepped out into the cold hallway. He shivered and turned to head downstairs into the kitchen for breakfast.

At the bottom of the stairs Karkat stopped and looked around. The light was on and Crabdad was up and moving about. Karkat shook his head and walked over to the fridge getting some orange juice and a glass pouring himself some, he turned to face his father and yawned again.

"You're up early. Why?" Karkat reached up into the cupboard and pulled down a box of poptarts pulling out a pack and throwing them into the toaster.

Crabdad sat down at the table and opened the book he had sitting there. "I just got up early this morning to call the place where we bought your truck to ask them the mail us the paper work. I would have just done it over the internet but it's down for the week because you hit the pole and knocked it out. I'll be able to get your truck fixed next weekend."

Karkat smiled. "Thanks dad. Um, you weren't hurt too bad were you? I mean, in the crash?" Crabdad shook his head and Karkat laughed. "Thank god!" The toaster popped and Karkat grabbed his poptarts setting them on a paper towel. He chugged down the rest of his juice looking at the clock. "Shit! I gotta go dad! I'll see you when you get off work!" Karkat ran over to the front door throwing on his boots and his sweatshirt with the zodiac cancer symbol on the pocket on and grabbing his backpack before throwing open the door.

Sollux stood on the porch hand raised ready to knock. His face was shocked as he dropped his hand but he smiled. "Good morning, Karkat."

Karkat frowned and stepped out onto the porch closing the door. "Yeah, whatever. Why are you here?" Karkat glared up at him. _Fuck. He's so damn tall!_ He refused to break the stare as Sollux laughed.

"I'm walking with you! I said I would!" Sollux smiled at him. His eyes squinted when he smiled and he had huge smile lines that spread across his face.

Karkat smiled a little at the smile lines. "Yeah I remember but I didn't think you actually would."

Sollux laughs again. He seemed to be in a good mood and Karkat tilted his head to the side as he stepped off the porch. He chose to ignore Sollux's good mood and keep his grouchy one. The snow crunched under his boots as he walked down the driveway and out onto the street. Karkat's hair had gotten long and the wind kept pushing it into his face. He tucked it behind his ear but it just kept flying back into his eyes. He huffed out a long sigh and reached into his pocket. There was three bobby pins in there along with his iPod and he used them to clip back the hair. He sighed and looked up at the still black sky. It was covered in low dark clouds that were dimly lit up by the bright street lights. Karkat turned to face Sollux, but instead of stopping and looking at him he continued to turn, twirling around in the middle of the dark street his backpack flying around with him. The straps looked like arms clinging to his back for dear life. Karkat twirled around till he got dizzy. He stopped and stood in the road, he stumbled backwards but something stopped him from falling flat on his ass.

Karkat looked up to see a smiling Sollux with an arm wrapped firmly around his waist. "What was all the pretty princess twirling about?" Sollux asked his smile only growing.

Karkat glared up at him a laugh escaped his lips and stood up fully on his own two legs. He bit his lower lip and looked down at the snow cover road. "That did not just happen, okay? I don't want people thinking I'm the weak, pathetic, worthless person I am. Got it!?" Karkat shook his head back and forth a little bit as Sollux grunted his agreement.

"I won't tell anyone what just happened. Even though it did make you look a little like a bunny who put a little bit of vodka in his morning cup of coffee. It was very, as you call it, adorabloothirsty." Sollux laughed and Karkat shook his head again continuing his walk down the snowy road.

The boys walked for the next 4 or 5 blocks. Karkat was a little grumpier than he had been 20 minutes ago and Sollux couldn't stop laughing at his face. As the men got closer to the school Sollux's laughing spells got farther and farther apart until they finally stopped. They turned the corner and the school came into full view. A shiver ran down Karkat's back and if he was asked he would say it was from the cold but really he was just really nervous. He did know a few people at this school. Sollux for one. He also know Terezi of course, but she took all the advanced classes and would be graduating this spring on honors. He knew Tavros and he would be meeting a new person, a stoner he had met over some chat site he had found a few years back. His name was Gamzee.

Karkat shook his head. _Four friends at your new school. What's to worry about, Karkat? You'll be fine!_ Karkat looked down at his hands and then up at Sollux's blank face. Sollux's glasses had slid down his face and Sollux reached up to push them up his nose. Karkat smiled a little. _One hell of a friend you got there._ Sollux tensed up and turned his gaze away from where he was walking. Karkat tilted his head to the side and frowned. "What's wrong?"

Sollux shook his head before saying, "You remember how we met? How bad of a condition I was in?" Karkat nodded his head. "Part of the reason for that is coming this way now."

Karkat looked ahead in the direction they were walking. There was two people up there, a man and what looked to be a small girl. They were walking right towards Karkat and Sollux.

The man had to have been held back several years. He was HUGE. Muscles covered every inch of his body and he had to be at least 6'8''. His hair was black and went well past his shoulders. He wore a pair of short and a t-shirt. Karkat flinched and moved his eyes down to the small girl. Her hand was wrapped tightly around the man's and she skipped along beside him. Her hair was a light brown and hung in tight curls down to her shoulders. She had a blue hat with cat ears protruding from the top sitting on her head and a long green over coat. The pair stopped right in front of Karkat and Sollux. Sollux tried to walk around them but the huge man grabbed onto his arm. "Where do you think you're going Captor?" The girl had let go of the man's hand and she now faced the school, refusing to look at what was happening.

Sollux stayed quiet ignoring the man. He just stood there not looking up from his feet. The man shook his arm and Sollux remained unresponsive. "Captor! I asked you a question! Answer it!" He shook him again and Karkat saw Sollux clench his teeth but he still said nothing. Karkat looked over at the girl then back at Sollux, then back at the girl. He walked over to her and stood in front of her.

"Hey kitty-chick! Can you tell your man to back the hell off?" The girl just shook her head. Karkat got even more enraged. "Do it! Tell him to leave Sollux alone!"

The girl shook her head. "I listen to him. Not the other way around. I'm sorry. I can't get involved." The girl had tears running down her cheeks and she sobbed silently. The man looked over his shoulder and pushed Sollux to the ground.

"Get away from her!" The muscle-man yelled.

Karkat shook his head. "Get the hell away from him!" Karkat yelled back.

The man looked down at Sollux who lay on the ground surrounded by snow. He was slowly standing up and the man smiled. "You mean this bug. He's nothing. A pile of shit. Shouldn't even exist if you ask me."

"Well, I didn't ask you." Karkat said. His words contained venom that could almost be seen being spat. Karkat leaned closer to the girl and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Please tell him to leave Sollux alone? I don't want to have to hurt him. Please?" He whispered this sweetly in her ear, calmly. She shook her head and Karkat frowns. "Well then I have to ask that you do not hate me for what I might have to do if he hurts Sollux. You understand that right?"

The girl whipped her head up looking at Karkat tears were streaming silently down her cheeks. Her voice was loud and high pitched. "I said I can't!"

The man glared at Karkat. "Nepeta. Leave. Now." The girl nodded her head but Karkat just wrapped his arm around her shoulders. He wasn't holding her there, she just kind of stayed there. She didn't fight to escape is grip and obey the huge man.

Karkat smiled up at the tall man. "How about this when she leaves you go with her, and leave my friend here alone. Deal?" Karkat's eyes were deadly. If looks could kill, muscle-man would be dead.

The man just smiled back and even laughed a little. "How's this?" He turned around to face a now fully standing Sollux. He kicked him right in the stomach. Sollux doubled over coughing. He still said nothing as he fell to the ground.

"Equius!" Nepeta yelled, covering her eyes. Her sobs became louder as she ran across the snow and sunk down on the ground beside Sollux. Karkat glared at Equius he walked up to him. The man glared down at him through broken sunglasses and Karkat glared right back at him. Karkat raise his fist and sent it right into Equius's nose. A few drops of blood dripped down over his lips and his glasses slid down his nose to reveal deep blue eyes. Equius reached down and took Nepeta by the arm picking her up from the ground. You could see that he was hurting her but she didn't fight him, she just let him drag her away.

Once they were gone Karkat bent down and helped Sollux stand up. He stood and dusted off his clothes. "Thanks."

Karkat just nodded and him and Sollux continued to walk towards the school. "But, why do you let him treat you like that?'

Sollux bit his lip and shook his head. "A few years back my uncle and Equius's dad went for drinks. They both were a little tipsy, and they were driving down the road along the river. The car flew off road and straight into the water. His dad was passed out. He didn't make it out but my uncle did. He blames my uncle, but I guess he feels as if I take away some of the anger from what my uncle did. My uncle could have saved his father but he didn't. Didn't want to give the effort." Sollux kicked a pile of snow sending it flying. He turned his head and smiled at Karkat. "It's not a big deal really!" He frowned again and looked up at the sky. "You do realize that now you're fucked. He will be coming after you now, too."

Karkat nodded. "I know. I can take him. I might be small, but I'm strong." Karkat smiled just slightly. "I'm not proud of it but I've been kicked out of 14 schools for fighting. People know I'm strong so they challenge me."

Sollux nodded. They had reached the front doors of the school. Sollux turned to Karkat and smiled the hugest smile ever.

"Welcome to Sburb High." He opened the front doors and they stepped in.

**A/N: I hope you liked this chapter! So I'll **


	6. When

**A/N: Chapter six everyone! I hope you enjoy it! I'll have the next chapter soon! ENJOY! XX))((XX**

Karkat stepped into the school. The front lobby was crowded with students. They were all either talking or slamming their lockers shut. Sollux walked straight and Karkat hurried to catch up with him. People all stopped to watch them as they walked by. Students stopped what they were doing and gawked. Karkat felt uncomfortable and he glared at them. Sollux just shook his head and laughed. Karkat slugged him in the arm but he just laughed louder. A few people looked at the two men as if they had just witnessed pigs flying. Karkat tilted his head a little bit to the side. A group of girls was watching them and whispering to each other '_Did Sollux just laugh?' 'Yeah, I think he just did! Twice.' 'Wow. I'm shocked. I don't even know what to say.'_

Karkat looked up at Sollux's smiling face. There was no hint of the fight that had just happened a few moments ago anywhere on him and Karkat was glad about that.

_He has had to laugh before. Those girls are just over exaggerating. _ He shook his head a little, _Could he have really been that depressed before that day? That he wouldn't laugh. At all._

The halls to the school were painted a soft yellow. The lockers were bright candy red and Karkat frowned. He hated the color red. Sollux continued down the hallway and stopped in front of a large door. The sign that hung on the wall clearly labeled the room the main office. Sollux turned to face Karkat a smile on his face. "This is the office. We need to get your schedule, so come on." Sollux opened the door and Karkat followed him in.

There was an lady in here early twenties at the desk and Karkat smiled at her. He was trying a new thing where he stays on the teachers good sides no matter how much they piss him off. The lady smiled back and asked what she could do for him. "I'm the new student. Karkat Vantas."

The lady laughed and started to dig around on her cluttered desk. "Well Karkit, I have your paperwok, paperwork, right here. I'm Ms. Lalonde. I work here answin, answering, the phones and stuff." Ms. Lalonde slurred her words as she spoke and Karkat could smell the booze on her breath as he took the papers with his schedule and new locker combo on it. He didn't correct her mispronunciation of his name, just smiled and thanked her hurrying out of the office and back into the hallway. Sollux reached over and snatched the papers out of Karkat's hands.

"You have a good schedule. AP calculus for first period. then you have art, science, tech, language arts and then gym. Good classes good setup." He laughed and Karkat frowned again. "I think I'm going to start stalking you to your classes." Sollux laughed again and stopped in front of a locker. He started spinning the dial and opening it. He threw his bag in and closed it. He reached over and opened the locker next to his. Karkat looked inside. It was empty. The locker was labeled 612 and Karkat threw his bag inside taking a pen and notebook out.

Karkat slammed it shut and started his way towards room 314. Math. Sollux walked with him, frowning. Karkat looked at him. He was curious as to what it was like here for Sollux before he had met him. Karkat jumped as something hit him over the head. He turned around to see a smiling Terezi. Karkat growled at her and she just laughed. "Have some fun Karkles! It's just a can drubbing."

"Yeah well in case you didn't know they fucking hurt!" Terezi just laughed and Karkat growled again. "I just wished the school could forbid you from having that thing in the school."

Sollux raised an eyebrow at them and frowned. "Why can't they?" Terezi just laughed.

"Because I'm blind! No, duh!" Terezi said in a sarcastic voice. Sollux stopped in the middle of the hallway and stared at her completely confused.

He opened his mouth then shut it and then opened it again and spoke. "But you jumped from the ceiling at the cafe... You have got to be kidding me!"

Terezi snickered and Karkat even laughed a bit. "I wasn't always blind. I did a lot of martial arts and stuff like that before my accident, so I was really good at that kind of stuff. But that one fight didn't go so well. I ended up in the hospital and they tried to fix my sight but it was no use." Terezi was still smiling as she told the story. "I loved sparing and I thought I wasn't going to be able do it again..." They small group had started walking again and were now standing in front of Terezi's locker. She was digging around inside the mess of dragon plush toys and papers looking for something. "But I told Latula that I wanted to continue fighting. She said that if I wanted to do it she would find a good coach to help me with my sight loss. She searched everywhere and finally found someone. Vriska Serket. She usually is a bitch. She actually goes to school here as a senior. We were good friends. She helped me get used to being blind she would yell at me for hours until I would get something right. We would work day and night until I was so tired I would collapse. But it worked. I joined a dojo and got back into martial arts. I was still really good and I could fight amazingly even though I couldn't see anything. I worked mainly off of what I heard. It was pretty easy and I was glad for what Vriska had taught me. I went to my first competition and smiled the whole time. When it came up to my turn I had to take off my glasses and they were just boring sun glasses back then. I walked up to the mat keeping my eyes closed. The person I was up against told me to open my eyes, so I did. He laughed and yelled out 'I'm fighting a blind girl! Not happening I forfeit!' I had just shook my head and sat down. I wasn't surprised and I was hoping I would get another try at someone else, but everyone I went up against forfeited. I was so angry, but I said nothing, did nothing. After the competition I walked down to the cafe by myself. As I passed an alley I heard something going on. Someone was getting the shit beat out of them and I didn't even think I jumped in I ripped the fight apart and started yelling at the person." Terezi shook her head frowning. "I'm telling an awfully long story aren't I?"

Sollux just laughed, "Yeah, but I don't mind. Class doesn't start for another ten minutes. Please continue."

Terezi nodded. "Okay." She froze for a moment and frowned again, "The fight was between some kids from the other team and Vriska. She had gone after them because they refused to fight me. Thing is Vriska is a boxer. She kicked the other kids asses. We got into a fight about how she can't just go around beating people up and she had just laughed saying she can do whatever she wants because she had all the luck, and has never lost a fight in her life. I had yelled at her about how she had no right to do that, that it wasn't a big deal. She said she was defending me. That it wasn't fair that they wouldn't fight me because I was blind. I told her to back off and that we weren't friends anymore. She got all mad and ran off. She was a horrible person before we met but she just got worse after that. But I have to admit that because of her I can do stuff that most blind people can't." She smiled and pulled out three meddles from the bottom of her locker. All of them were first place. "Like I've won first place three time in 24 hour competitions. I fought for 24 hours against several other fighters. I was the only one who made it the entire time with no coffee of energy drinks."

Sollux smiled at her and laughed. "You sure are a bad ass." Karkat smiled at Sollux's take on the story.

"You have no clue. You should have seen her during that fight. I stayed up and watched the whole thing. Kankri and Latula passed out at least 3 times. and Latula also had to run the cafe. She was so tired it was funny." Karkat wrapped an arm around Terezi's shoulders and laughed. "She kicked some ass."

Sollux laughed and the group continued to walk down the hallway. Most of the students had left the halls and were already in their classrooms. The group turned the corner and room 314 came into view. Terezi turned around throwing her cane over her shoulder. "Well this is where I so goodbye. I'll see you two at lunch." She waved and walked off down another hall. Karkat turned to face Sollux and frowned opening the door to the classroom.

There was only about 17 people in the class and Karkat quickly took a seat with Sollux right next to him. Karkat set his note book on the table and started doodling little pictures of cartoon crabs. They looked more like scribbles and wobbly shapes though. The teacher came in the room and the bell rang. The teacher was tall and skinny. He wore crappy anime glasses and had spiky blonde hair that stuck out in every direction. Karkat shook his head. The teacher looked really familiar and it gave Karkat an odd headache trying to think of where he had seen him before. The teacher stopped in front of the class and spoke up. The class instantly went quiet.

"Now listen up you little shits. We have a new student." He turned to face Karkat and signaled for him to stand up. Karkat did and the teacher introduced him to everyone. "His name is Karkat Vantas. He came from Sgrub high across town." Karkat heard the door creak open and he turned to look at the door. He jaw dropped and he felt sick to his stomach. The teacher raised his voice a little louder as the class started to talk again. "We actually have two new students from Sgrub and this one is late. Class I would like to introduce our newest student, and also my pain in the ass little brother Dave Strider."

Karkat clutched at his stomach, he felt as if he was going to throw up. He stood from his chair and ran out of the classroom. The teacher called after him and Karkat caught a glimpse of Dave's shocked face. The door slammed behind him as Karkat ran down the hall. He threw open the bathroom door and ran for the stall. He bent over the toilet just in time for his breakfast to come up and into the bowl. Karkat heard the door open again and a moment later He felt cold hands pushing his long hair out of his face keeping it out of the way. Once all the vile was out of him Karkat stood up and wiped at his mouth. He walked over to the sink rinsing out his mouth. He turned around to see who was in there with him. Sollux stood there watching Karkat, a worried look on his face.

"You gonna be alright?" Karkat just nodded and Sollux frowned. "Can I know what happened? What that was about?" Karkat flinched slightly but nodded his head looking down at the ground.

"The other new kid, Dave. He's the guy John cheated on me with." Karkat could feel a tear run down his cheek and he turned around wiping it away. He looked at Sollux through the mirror to see him watching his back. A sad look crossed his face and he walked over to where Karkat stood. He grabbed his arm and swung him around so he could face him. He hugged Karkat to him and Karkat started crying. He sobbed silently, tears streaming down his face as he stood there in Sollux's arms. Karkat hadn't been able to talk to anyone about what had happened. He hadn't shown much emotion on the subject. He had kept most of it pent up hiding it from others. It had had a long time and had become a large pile of anger and sadness. The scars on his arms were the only proof of how much he was hurting. Karkat gripped at Sollux's shirt holding him there. The two stood there for several minutes and eventually Karkat pulled away. He used the sleeve of his sweatshirt to wipe away the tears. He looked in the mirror at himself. His cheeks were red and so was his nose. He splashed some water on his face and stood back up he smiled at Sollux a little embarrassed by his little show. "Sorry about that. I guess I am kind of a baby."

Sollux laughed and shook his head. "Not a big deal man. We're cool." Sollux frowned again and looked at the door. "We need to get back to class." Karkat nodded his head. He really didn't want to go back to class where Dave was but he had no choice. He had to attend class or he would get suspended.

The two men stepped out into the hall and walked back to the classroom. They opened the door and Karkat spotted Dave instantly. He sat in the second row by the window, alone. Karkat held his chin high and walked into the class. "Nice of you two to join us." Mr. Strider said. Karkat just gave a curt nod and him and Karkat and Sollux just walked to the back of the class and sat down at an empty table. Mr. Strider continued his lesson but Karkat paid almost no attention. He was to distracted.

_Why is Dave here? Why did he transfer? This isn't fair! I never wanted to see him again! Does god really hate me that much..._

The bell rang and Karkat stood from his seat. He grabbed his note book. His mouth still tasted like vomit and he asked Sollux if he had some gum. Sollux passed him a piece of spearmint and he popped it in his mouth. Karkat headed for the door, but before he could leave the class room he felt a fist make contact with his jaw. He collapsed onto the floor a little blood dripped from his nose and he looked up to see who had just punched him. Dave stood towering over him. He was pissed as he screamed at Karkat.

"HOW COULD YOU!"

**A/N: I hope you liked this chapter! I'll have more soon! I would love to see some fan art! Love all of my readers! XX))((XX**


	7. WHAT just happened?

**Here's chapter SEVEN! Yes! Finally! I really hope you enjoy! I'm trying to post more often but I've been having real bad writers block. I would like to thank massproducingwhiteflags for her amazing Terezi fan art she did! If you want to see the picture just ask and I'll send you the link! ****Anyways... ENJOY! XX))((XX**

Karkat looked up at Dave shock registered across his face as blood dripped from his nose and over his lips. Karkat stood and faced Dave. "What do you mean, 'how could you'?" Karkat glared at him. "I didn't do anything!" Sollux stood next to Karkat as anger pulsed through his body.

The poker face that Dave was famous for, had broken and now he was snarling, enraged. He got all up in Karkat's face yelling spit flying from his mouth and all over Karkat. "You just abandoned John! You left without saying anything! He was so worried, he cried for days!" Dave grabbed Karkat's arm and shook him. Hard.

Karkat shook his head and stared at Dave as if he was stupid. "I abandoned him!" Karkat laughed even through his anger. "He cheated on me! With you! So don't act so stupid!" Karkat had started to cry again. Tears ran down his cheeks and dripped off of his chin. He collapsed back against the wall breathing heavily. A sharp pain was in his chest and Karkat could feel the stitches breaking and could feel the blood dripping down his chest.

"You ruined his life... You hurt him." Dave said this softly. His shades had slipped off his face and Karkat could see the anger burning in his red eyes. Karkat leaned against the wall crying like wimp on the first day being at his new school. Mr. Strider stood off in the corner behind his desk acting as if none of this was going on. It was clear to Karkat that he wasn't going to do anything to help him. There were no other students coming into the classroom because it's a planning period. Karkat could tell he was going to get no help from anyone.

Karkat looked back up at Dave and clenched his jaw. "I hurt him? Well that's good, because you know what? He hurt me! He hurt me worse than anything in the world! And it's all your fault! You slept with him! I loved him and you fucked him! Karkat was whispering he couldn't bring himself to yell at Dave because he knew if he did his voice would crack. He could still hear his scratchy throat in his voice. Karkat stopped leaning against the wall and stood up straight. He looked up at Dave who was almost six foot and, once again, cursed his height.

Karkat was ready to jump. He was going to beat the shit out of Dave. He was going to hurt him and make him bleed. Karkat didn't care that he might get kicked out of school on his first day. He leaned forward. Someone touched his arm and Karkat whipped around. Sollux stood there, his eyes looked just about as sad as Karkat was angry. Karkat's anger died almost instantly at seeing Sollux's sadness displayed on his face. Sollux wrapped his arm around Karkat's shoulders and Karkat leaned against him. Tears were still streaming down his face as he glared at Dave. Sollux reached down and picked up Karkat's arm from where it hung at his side. He slid up Karkat's sleeve and started to slowly unwrap the bandage from around his arm. Karkat didn't try to pull away. He knew what Sollux was doing. The bandage was all the way off and Karkat watched and Dave's jaw locked and his eyes squinted into a glare. Sollux spoke in a hushed angry tone. "This is what the guy you're trying to defend did to him. He hurt him so bad that Karkat became blind to anything else but the depression that came with what you and that boy did. He began cutting. I could tell that on the night we met that something was eating at his heart. I didn't even see these marks until later that night. And the thing is he helped me, even though he didn't have to."

Dave's eyes almost popped out of his head and he looked back at Karkat.

"You're fucking him!" Dave yelled. "You sucked his dick didn't you! Got into some club and met him then he took you home and you sucked his dick!" Dave got all up in Karkat's face. "You fucked him! You are a little bastard! You know that?"

Karkat laughed and so did Sollux. Dave just stared at them. He was pissed! Karkat shook his head and looked up at Sollux and stood up straight. Another fit of laughter racked his body. The laughing made the pain in his chest hurt even worse but he couldn't help it. He opened his mouth and spoke his voice cracking again. "I'm not like that. I don't just go around fucking random people." The late bell rang signaling the end of first period and the beginning of second. "He's just a friend. And, yes I am a little bastard. And you know what I hate myself for it. I hate myself more than you know. More than anyone knows."

Sollux looked down at Karkat then up at Dave. "But you know what?" Sollux said. His voice was strong and held a tone of authority. He was glaring at Dave now. "He's a better person that you or anyone will ever be." He reached down and took Karkat's hand in his. "That's why I like him."

Karkat's heart seemingly stopped but started back up as Sollux dragged him out of the classroom and into the hall. He pulled him into the bathroom and released his hand. The two just stood there. Karkat had a straight face. He refused to show any emotion as he wiped the tears off of his cheeks. Sollux stood there watching Karkat, he was worried and Karkat could tell. Karkat was confused at Sollux's words earlier.

_He likes me... What the HELL! No no no no no no. I don't believe it. Not for a second!_

"So, um... What the hell?" Karkat asked his face staying blank.

Sollux frowned and looked up at the ceiling. "I don't actually like you. I'm sorry." Karkat could hear the uncertainty in his voice but he didn't question it. He didn't want to deal with a boy liking him or anyone liking him really. Karkat nodded.

"Okay. That's good. I guess." Karkat looks around him at the bathroom. "Why are we in here exactly?"

Sollux frowned and looked back at Karkat. "You chest. Your stitches broke. Right?" Karkat nodded and Sollux walked over to him. "Let me have a look." Karkat unzipped his coat and threw it onto the ground. He took off his shirt. He was a little embarrassed about being half naked in front of Sollux, but he shrugs it off. There was a little bit of blood dripping from the wound. Sollux got some paper towels wet and dabbed at it wiping away the blood. Sollux looked at the cut and stood up from his crouch. "Stay here. I'll be right back." Sollux walked out into the hall and Karkat frowned. After about three minutes of waiting Karkat got bored of standing and leaned against the wall sliding down the wall. He sat there and continued to wait for Sollux. The stitched by his belly button were fine.

_How did the ones on my chest break but not the other ones?_

Karkat heard the door open and looked up at Sollux. He had a small bag in his hand and Karkat stared. Sollux crouched down next to Karkat on the ground. He pulled out a small needle and some nylon string. He smiled at Karkat and slid the string through the needle. Karkat realized what he was doing and crossed his arms over his chest covering up the wound. "No. Not happening. You are not going to be the one to stitch me up. There is no way in hell that is happening." Sollux just shook his head and laughed.

Sollux picked up Karkat's shirt and balled it up handing it to Karkat. "Bite down on this. Cause this is going to hurt." Karkat frowned but bit down on the shirt anyways. He felt the needle pierce his skin and flinched. He bit down hard to keep from screaming as the needle pierced his skin again."I'm sorry I have to do this to you but it needs to be done." After a moment Sollux puts the needle and thread away and stands up. Karkat follows suit and stands beside him. He removes the shirt from his mouth and runs a hand through his hair.

"It's alright. No big deal..." He says his chest felt a little better and the bleeding had stopped. Karkat pulls the shirt over his head. There was a little blood on the front but it was barely noticeable on the black fabric. Karkat smiled up at Sollux shyly. "Thanks I guess." He grabbed his notebook from where it had been thrown by the sink. Karkat looked into the mirror and stared at his reflection. His face a bruised and now his eyes were also red and puffy. He wiped at them with his hands before grabbing a paper towel, getting it wet and wiping at them again. His cheeks were red and the color faded away as he wiped the drying tears from them. Karkat could see that Sollux was standing behind him watching his back. Karkat wiped off the rest of his face and turned to face Sollux. "You do know that you don't have to stay here with me... You know that right?"

Sollux nods his head smiling. "Yeah but I feel like I should stay here. Plus it's not like I have class. You do though so we should probably get there soon. It is your first day after all." Karkat frowns again and pushes on the door opening it just a bit.

Karkat looks over his shoulder to see that Sollux wasn't following and stops. "Coming?" Sollux just shakes his head. Karkat raises an eyebrow.

"I actually wanted to talk to you about something before we go back to class. Okay?" Sollux refused to look up at Karkat. He stared at the floor. Karkat couldn't see his eyes. He nods and lets the door swing closed again. Karkat just rolls his eyes.

"Okay shoot. What is it you want to talk about?" Karkat crosses his arms over his chest. He stands there resting most of his weight on one leg. Sollux laughs a little and Karkat raises an eyebrow. "What's so funny?"

Sollux continues to look down at the ground. Karkat couldn't see his eyes but he could see the huge smile spreading across his face. Karkat had to admit that this scared him a little bit. "Well, Karkat, I want to confess something. I'm just a terrible liar and I'm surprised that you didn't catch it first thing." Sollux looked up and Karkat could see the sadness in his eyes. It looked as if any moment Sollux would start crying. The smile seemed so out of place on his face. Karkat took at step back but the door was in his way. He pressed his back against the thick wood.

"W-what do you mean?" Karkat croaked out. He was stuttering and his throat was still dry and cracked painfully.

Sollux's smile dropped from his face and he walked over to Karkat. Karkat was petrified. Sollux had him cornered.

_He's going to kill me. He's some strange serial killer. I'm going to die in the bathroom at my new school. That's going to look good on the front page of the newspaper!_

Sollux was frowning as he watched Karkat's facial expressions. "Why do you look so scared? I'm not going to hurt you. I really just want to tell you something but I don't know how." He was right in front of Karkat now and his face just inches away from his. "So I figure why not go out on a limb and show you." He leans in closer closing his eyes tightly.

Sollux kissed Karkat deeply. Karkat didn't move an inch. He was still frozen where he stood. After a moment Sollux pulled away. He was smiling a bright huge smile.

"That is why I'm a liar. Because I do actually like you." Karkat looked at Sollux he avoided his eyes and just looked at him. At his smug smile. His messy hair. Shaking hands. Karkat looked him over a moment. Then realization hit him.

Karkat's hand made contact with Sollux's face.

**A/N: Just wanted to thank you for putting up with my terrible writing and reading my story! I'm going to keep going with it! I've been getting a lot of support and I just wanted to let you guys know that I appreciate it a ton! THANK YOU GUYS AND GALS! XX))((XX**


	8. Sore Throat

A/N:** Sorry for taking so long! I've been grounded... It really sucked. I would LOVE to see more fan art! I want to see scenes from my story in pictures! I want to see how my readers see what's happening! I wish I could draw it out but I am a terrible artist! So please please please send me some fan art just ask and I'll give you my Email so you can send me it! Thank you! So here's chapter eight! I'm so excited! Just keep reading! I hope you enjoy it! Fluff will come soon! I promise! Please don't stop reading before the good stuff happens! ;) ENJOY!** **XX))((XX **

Karkat turned and placed his hand on the bathroom door pushing it open and stepping out into the vacant hallway. He walked quickly past the red lockers and around the corner. He could feel angry tears welling up in his eyes as he began to jog down the halls. He didn't want anyone to see him crying. He shouldn't even have let Sollux see him so emotional. Karkat cursed at himself as he pushed open the first door he saw that led out into the snow covered courtyard behind the school. He didn't stop as he continued to run. He bumped into something dark green that squealed as he stumbled. He didn't stop to see who it was he had run into and made a sharp left turn cutting across the icy tennis court and slowing down behind the stadium of the football field.

Karkat collapsed against a thick wooden post breathing heavily, the tears streaming down his cheeks leaving frozen trails. He sobbed silently his chest feeling tight. He quickly peaked down his shirt to make sure the stitches hadn't split and slid slowly down the post and sitting among the hard packed snow burying his face in his hands. _I am the biggest fucking idiot in the world! Why did I let myself fuck up again? I let him do that. Made him think he had any chance. Any at all. Maybe he'll forget… Just let it go. I won't let this friendship turn into anything more. It will happen again if It does…_

Karkat shook his head wiping tears away with the sleeve of his shirt. He heard snow crunching under heavy boots to his left and he looked quickly up.

A tall man with long, messy and badly dyed purple hair and a still burning joint in his hand stood, an ugly bruise among the pale white back round of the new year. He had on a black shirt over a pair of polka-dotted pajama pants and a pair of hiking boots laced up tightly. He smiled and Karkat saw a set of three parallel scars over his left eye. He smiled down at Karkat and let out a honking laugh. "Hey motherfucker. What's wrong? Why you getting all emotional and shit?" Karkat just glared up at the stoned man and snorted.

"Go away. You smell of weed and it's making me sick." He made a horrified face and wiped his hand over his eyes to make sure there were no more tears left running down his cheeks. His teeth were chattering and he wrapped his arms tightly around his knees trying to keep himself warm. The guy standing next to him took a drag from the joint in his hand and laughed again drawing Karkat's attention back up to him, "Didn't I just ask you to go away fuckass? Why are you still here?"

"You remind me of someone I know motherfucker. That's all." The juggalo looked up at the eerie grey sky and stared at nothing for a while. When he looked back at Karkat he had a huge creepy smile across his face. "You seem like my best friend. Is your name Karkat?"

Karkat stood slowly from where he sat on the snow and turned slightly, ready to bolt at any second. The man didn't seem the right age to be attending school and that only left one option.

He's a stalker.

Karkat nodded slowly, keeping his mouth shut. He couldn't handle a stalker on top of everything else going on in his life. The man laughed again and smiled like a little kid.

"I motherfucking thought so. I didn't know you had transferred here. You haven't been on Pesterchum in a while." He took another drag on his joint before tossing it onto the snow covered ground and stomping it out with his toe.

Karkat stopped where he stood staring up at tall honking freak in front of him. "Pesterchum?" He scanned his brain thinking of all the people he talked to on the stupidest chat site in all of history. There was only one person other than Terezi who knew his real name on there. "Gamzee?"

"The one and only, motherfucker." He laughed again and reached into his pocket pulling out a rubber band. He slid his fingers through his hair and pulled it up into a low ponytail. Even though he was a guy the style didn't look half bad. His bangs fell slightly in front of his face and Karkat had to admit that is it wasn't for what he was wearing he could actually be considered hot. Karkat took a step closer and laughed. Of course he didn't have a stalker he was to much of a fuck up for anyone to have a creepy obsession with him. Karkat smiled. His lips were chapped and hurt at the movement on his face. When he looked back at Gamzee's face though he could see the frown as it spread. "Why were you crying though?"

Karkat shook his head. "It's nothing. I'm just having a bad time as of lately. The reason I haven't been on Pesterchum is because I had a really bad experience a few weeks ago…" He trailed off as he felt another tear trail down his face. He bit his lip trying to hold back the rest of them. It didn't work and he let out a quiet sob. He looked down hoping that Gamzee couldn't see his face. Karkat looked up at the sound of crunching snow and felt strong arms around his shoulders. More tears streamed down his face. He let his emotions take control and wept like a young child in Gamzee's strong embrace. He wrapped his arms around Gamzee's waist burying his face in his chest. Gamzee ran his hands through Karkat's messy hair and told him that everything was going to be alright. But he had no clue how hurt Karkat really was. How much pain the past few weeks had caused him.

After a few minutes Karkat pulled away and wiped away the tears on his face. He was still frowning but was all cried out. Gamzee was standing there next to him a new smile on his face. "So are you ever going to tell me what happened? Why you are to sad?"

Karkat nodded his head. "I told you about John and how He had started hanging out with His friend Dave more than me… And I didn't think anything was going on because I didn't think Dave swung that way… Well I was wrong. Dave is Pansexual. And John cheated!" His voice cracked and he tried to hide it by yelling the last word but it just made it worse because his voice stopped working entirely. His throat was scratchy and he knew that that was the last of his voice for the day. He has officially lost his voice. Gamzee nodded his head. He understood what had happened. Karkat tried to speak hoping he could at least say that they needed to get back to class but his voice just came out breathy and made almost no noise.

Karkat sighed and turned to leave. He heard Gamzee following and smiled. Karkat went back in the direction of the courtyard and the door that led back inside the school. Once inside the school he pulled out his phone, opened up a new text typing quickly before handing the phone to Gamzee.

_Where's the nurses office?_

Gamzee smiled. "Follow me." He started walking and Karkat followed him around the corner and down the hall. Gamzee stopped in front of a chipped red door opening it slowly. He made a motion indicating that Karkat was to go in and Karkat did just that. The inside was nothing like the rest of the school there was flowers painted on the light blue walls and unlike the bright red hallways the room gave off a gentle feeling.

There was a lady sitting at the desk in the corner of the room. She looked up as the door behind Karkat closed with a loud thud. She was young no more than 20. Her skin was a mocha brown and had swirling tattoos twisting and turning over her arms and collar bone which was left in perfect view by a black dress with thin straps. It sat just low enough to show a small amount of cleavage. A thin green braided belt hung off of her hips and the beads that hung at the end of it swayed gently as she stood from her seat. Her hair was long hanging just past her waist and fell in thick black waves down her back. She had dark red lips and her face was sharp and angled. She was very pretty and Karkat smiled up at her. She gave off a vibe that made her seem kind and motherly. She stood in front of him and smiled back.

"What can I help you with?" Karkat opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out once again The lady nodded knowingly and turned away from Karkat. She walked over to the counter where a collection of colorfully painted drawers under the yellow tinted marble. She opened up a light green one and pulled out an expo marker and dry erase board handing the over the Karkat she pointed at a chair and then headed back over to the drawer pulling out a small flashlight and thermometer. Karkat sat quickly down in the small black plastic chair in the corner of the room. "My name is Porrim Maryam. But please call me Porrim, I don't like being referred to by my last name. Is your throat scratchy or sore? Maybe a combination of both?"

Karkat pulled the cap off of the pen and quickly wrote in his sharp and choppy hand writing.

_Both but more scratchy._

He held up the board and showed it to Porrim. He felt as if he were back in grade school again playing that game where the teacher would ask the class a question and you would have to write down the answer as quickly as possible and hold up your board to get a piece of candy. He always won that game and he missed life being that simple. He didn't have to worry about grades or relationships. He didn't even have to worry about friends. He could just go about his day being happy and not worrying about anything. Because being a kid meant not having any problems and being innocent.

Porrim placed the thermometer against Karkat's forehead and slid it across and down behind his ear. It beeped and Porrim pulled it away. "You don't have a fever… Have you been under a lot of stress or been yelling a lot lately? You could be over using your voice."

Karkat thought for a moment before scribbling more blurry words.

_Stress and some yelling. I just got out of the hospital the other day from a car wreck._

Porrim nodded as she read the board. "Well I'm glad you made it out okay. And if you are ever so stressed and you need someone to talk to you can come and talk to me at any time. Now open your mouth so I can see how bad your throat really is."

Karkat smiled and opened his mouth wide. Porrim shined the light to the back of his throat and Karkat frowned and she clicked her tongue. " By the looks of it you might need a week off from school. Your throat is really swollen and if you try to talk any more you might have to go back to the hospital." Karkat didn't like how that sounded and he shook his head vigorously. Porrim laughed slightly and walked over to her computer. "I never caught your name. Can I ask what it is?" Karkat wrote his name down quickly on the board and handed it over to Porrim she read it and smiled. "Karkat Vantas. The new kid. Looks like you lucked out. You just got here and you already get to leave. I'll give your mother a call and have her come pick you up." Karkat reached for the white board again and slowly wrote down his fathers number and handed it back to her with a little note at the bottom.

_It's my father I don't have a mother. _

Porrim frowned and picked up her phone dialing the number and placing it against her ear. Karkat could hear the light ringing in the silent room. He heard as Crabdad answered the phone and watched as Porrim spoke sweetly into the phone."Hello. My name is Porrim Maryam. I'm the nurse at Sburb high school and I'm calling to ask if you could come and pick up your son Karkat?" Karkat heard the silence on the other end and then a sigh and something that sounded along the lines of _'Who did he put in the hospital this time?'_ Porrim's face looked horrified and shocked. "No one. He just has a sore throat." Porrim was eyeing Karkat now with a worried look. Karkat ran a hand through his hair and looked j=up at the ceiling. Crabdad on the other line said something else and then he heard Porrim say. "Yes I understand. I'll do that. Thank you. Goodbye." The phone clicked off and Karkat looked back over at Porrim. She smiled at him. "Do you have someone I can else I could call? Your father is at the airport. He said he was leaving to go to Huston, Texas."

Karkat had no idea that his father was leaving but being as Crabdad was he wasn't surprised. Karkat knew that he would be home alone for the next few weeks and he cursed at himself inside his head. He could always go stay with Kankri, Latula and Terezi, but he was sick and he couldn't put that burden on them. He reached for the board and quickly wrote down Latula's name and number shaking his head to himself as he handed it back to Porrim. He figures he could at least ask her to come pick him up. He looked up at the clock on the wall. It was Latula's lunch break right now.

As Porrim made the call asking her to pick him up Karkat pulled out his wallet checking to see how much money he had. Thirty dollars. If he was going to take away Latula's lunch break he might as well pay for it. He heard the phone slide into place on the desk and he looked up to see Porrim rubbing her temple. "She said she'll be here in a few minutes. Just wait there." Karkat nodded writing a quick thank you on the board before handing it back to her and settling back into the seat. Porrim handed him some cough drops and he sucked on them silently waiting for Latula to get there. He stared up at the light blue ceiling and started to drift off.

"Karkat?" Karkat sat up in the chair rubbing his eyes and shaking his head. Latula stood in front of him in here work clothes and smiled. Karkat tried to say hi but it came out as a cracked and painful sound. Latula smiled and laughed a little. "Don't hurt yourself. Come on. I'll take you home." Karkat stood and walked in the direction of the door waving to Porrim on his way out.

Outside it had started snowing lightly and Karkat spotted Latula's red Volts Wagon beetle and ran quickly through across the parking lot and jumped in. He had left his school stuff in his locker and he shook his head. It wasn't a big deal he didn't need it anyways. Latula slid into the seat next to him and started up the car. The heater started up full blast as they pulled out onto the road.

The drive was quiet and short. Karkat gave Latula a hug as he got out of the car. She told him to get well and that her and Kankri would be by later with dinner. Karkat smiled and closed the door walking up the driveway and unlocking the door. Inside the house was cold and dark and Karkat flipped on the light. He heard a deep meow and almost jumped out of his pants. Troll sat on the back of the couch. He stretched climbing down and trotting over to Karkat wrapping himself around his legs meowing. Karkat picked him up and petted him as he walked across the room to the heater turning it on. He headed up the steps to his room and grabbed his thick comforter before heading back down the stairs and into the living room. He laid down on the couch and flipped on the T.V. Troll did little circles and planted himself right under Karkat's chin. Karkat tried to push him away but he refused to move. Finally he gave up. He was to tired to fight him on it. He passed out to the drawling sound of the news.

**A/N: Thank you for reading and I was wondering if any of my many amazing readers would do some fan art of everyone I've put in my story so far? I would love to see how others are understanding what I'm writing! Thank you for still reading! XX))((XX**


	9. Need to escape?

**A/N: I want to say thank you! To EVERYONE! My views have reached over eighteen hundred and I never thought I would get over three hundred! My reviews that I'm getting are all well appreciated and the fan art is amazing! I love the fact that you guys stick to reading my story and don't give up on me! I'll keep posting as often as possible, but I will be starting high school in a few days and I'm not sure I'll get up more chapters I am going to try my hardest with my extremely tight schedule to keep updating. So thank you for not giving up on me and continuing to read! Here's chapter nine! ENJOY! :3 XX))((XX**

Karkat lay under his thick blanket on the couch. Troll laying on his stomach purring softly in sync with Karkat's snoring. A loud knock on the door made him stir. He didn't quite wake up but instead rolled over falling off the couch with a loud thump. He sat up grumbling to himself and rubbing his head as another knock on the door caught his attention.

Karkat stood taking a second to straighten out his clothes before opening the front door. A blur of red tackled him to the ground cackling. Long thin arms wrapped tightly around his neck as Karkat tried to push a laughing Terezi away.

"Get off of me!" Karkat croaked. He flinched at the pain in his throat and sat up. Terezi squeezed him tightly once more before pulling away and helping him to his feet.

"You really do sound sick. I thought you were just pretending to get away from school. I heard what happened after first period. That's got to be tough. The boy you fell in love with cheated on you and now that you transferred schools the guy who he cheated on you with has every class with you! Tough break." Karkat just glared at her as Terezi rambled on and on. She had her hair pulled up into a bun and she wore a knee length red dress with thin straps. Karkat shook his head. He never had understood why she dressed three different ways. Ties to work, jeans to school and dresses everywhere else. Confusing.

Karkat frowned at her and looked over her shoulder and out the door. Latula stood there in a pair of jeans and an old T-shirt like a normal person, and a large blue bowl covered in tin foil in her arms. She was laughed as she stepped inside out of the cold heading straight for the kitchen. Karkat looked back at the door as it closed. Another pair of arms, stronger and larger, wrapped around him. Karkat hugged his brother back. "It's been a long time since I last saw you Karkat. I'm glad you haven't gotten into any trouble. Well I mean other than your sore throat of course. How is it by the way?"

Karkat smiled at his brother as he pulled away. He answered his question with a simple, whispered 'not good'. Kankri laughed and wrapped his arm around Karkat's shoulders. His wool sweater scratching his neck softly as Kankri dragged Karkat into the kitchen. Terezi and Latula stood there pulling down bowls and silverware from the drawers and cupboards and placing them on the table. Latula got a ladle and started scooping out what looked to be vegetable soup into the bowls. Once she was done everyone sat down at the table. Terezi and Karkat on one side and Latula and Kankri on the other. Karkat took a spoonful of the hot soup blowing on it to cool it down and ate it. It was amazing and Karkat smiled up at Latula. "It's good." He whispered his throat still felt sore but not as dry anymore. Latula laughed and motioned for him to continue to eat so he did. He finished first and asked for more. Latula poured some more into his bowl and he finished it off just as quickly. He felt full and he smiled across the table.

Kankri was frowning and looking around the kitchen, an odd look on his face. "If you don't mind me asking, where is dad?"

Karkat frowned. "He left for Texas earlier today." Karkat's voice came out normally only a little bit scratchy. Kankri nodded slowly frowning.

Latula looked a bit worried and she spoke quickly. "Are you going to be okay staying here alone?" Kankri nodded. Karkat wasn't used to him staying so quiet usually he would ramble on and on about how it was always best not to offend people and how often Karkat did offend people. When he wasn't talking about offending people he would just ramble about stuff that no one cared about. He was being really quiet today. Karkat smiled at Latula. It was a fake smile. He wasn't planning on staying home at all the next week. It was snowing and he wanted to get away with some friends.

"I'll be fine. But I was wondering if Terezi could go somewhere with me for the next week. Ditch school? I know she has a perfect 4.0 GPA and she has been working really hard. She deserves a week off from her stressful life." Latula and Kankri just stared at him with an astonished look. Terezi had set down her spoon next to her bowl and was facing straight ahead. Latula looked deep in thought as she nodded slowly.

"I guess that would be alright. But only if she wants to." She reached across the table and placed her hand on Terezi's. "Do you want to take a break and go with Karkat?"

Terezi jumped she seemed to be out of it but Karkat paid no attention to it. Whatever it was Terezi could deal with it. "Uh, yeah sure! Where we going?"

Karkat frowned and stared up at the ceiling for a moment thinking about where he wanted to go. "The cabin out in the woods! Kankri knows where it is. And we won't be alone. I'm going to go get some friends and head out there. Terezi you can even get some of your friends to go along." Everyone was smiling and nodding. Karkat guessed they all looked like a bunch of bobble heads. Karkat stood up and grabbed the empty bowls from the table and bringing them to the sink. He rinsed them out and put them in the dishwasher and Latula put what was left of the soup in the fridge. Karkat slammed the dishwasher shut as he remembered something. "I don't have my truck. I wrecked it!"

Terezi frowned and shook her head. "Wow you're an idiot." She smiled and turned to face Kankri who stood leaning against the counter. "Can we borrow your SUV?" Kankri shook his head. Fear on his face.

"Karkat just crashed his truck and you want me to let him drive my brand new SUV!? Never." Terezi laughed and shook her head.

Karkat frowned. "I'll drive. He won't even touch the wheel. I promise." Karkat burst out laughing. It came out painfully and Karkat fell to the ground. Between the stitches in his chest and the sore throat the laughing gave him a throbbing pain that resonated through his body.

Terezi stared down at him confusion clear on her face. Latula and Kankri had ran over to him and were lifting him to his feet. The looked at him worry on both of their faces. "I'm fine. Terezi you can't drive. I'm sorry, but in case you forgot... You're blind!" Kankri looked at him glaring. Karkat shook his head not caring. "I'll find some one else to drive Terezi." She frowned but nodded. Kankri stayed quiet and Latula smiled at them.

Latula jumped up and ran over to the counter where she had thrown her purse when she had walked in. "You're going to need food. How many people are you planning on going."

Karkat looked at the clock. It was only four. "Give me a moment. I'll be right back. Terezi figure out who all you want to take." Karkat ran slowly over to the door sliding on some sandals and heading out into the snow. The sky was already getting dark as Karkat stepped off of his porch and ran across his yard. He swore to himself that he would ignore what had happened in the bathroom earlier today and he was going to. He knocked on Sollux's door and waited quietly. It was cold and Karkat shivered. The door opened and Karkat looked up to see Sollux's uncle. He looked drunk and Karkat frowned up at him.

"Are you here to see my poor excuse of a nephew?" Karkat just stared up at him nodding softly. The man grabbed his arm rather roughly and pulled him into the house slamming the door as he threw him onto the ground. Karkat looked up at the man horrified. He rushed over to Karkat and he flinched in pain as the man grabbed him by his messy hair and pulled him back to his feet. He dragged him up the stairs. He moved fast and Karkat tried to keep up to avoid getting his hair ripped off. He wined and Sollux's uncle yelled at him to shut up.

_What the fuck is wrong with this guy! I mean come on! Who the fuck does this to people!__ Sollux must have it bad!_

His uncle dragged him down the short hallway and stopped in front of what Karkat recognized as Sollux's bedroom door. Karkat's legs were kicked out from under him and Karkat collapsed to the ground. Sollux's uncle still held onto his hair and Karkat wined again. His head hurt now along with everything else.

~~~~~~Blarg Bar~~~~~~

Sollux plugged his head phones into the laptop and opened up his programming tool on the side panel of his computer. He turned on some music trying to block out the loud pounding of his uncle trying to break down the bedroom door. He wasn't going to though. When Sollux first moved into the house he had remodeled that entire wall including the door. It was solid oak and had three military grade dead bolt locks.

His laptop didn't go loud enough to block out the noise but Sollux blocked it out instead by distracting himself with programming a new virus. He would later send this virus to his uncles computers via an untraceable email account. He smiled typing quickly singing along to Dear Agony by Breaking Benjamin.

He heard his uncle walk away from his door and Sollux turned his music down. He heard the front door slam and he thought his uncle had left. He relaxed and continued his programming.

After another minute past he heard his uncle in front of his door and sighed.

_He's just not going to give it up! _Sollux thought in frustration. He was just glad he was able to get behind locked doors before his uncle could get to him.

His uncle began banging on the door yelling at him to come out and fight him. Sollux shook his head staying silent. He reached over to turn back up his music and stopped.

"If you don't come out and fight me. I'll beat the shit out of your little friend here!" His uncle yelled. Sollux took the head phones off his head and set them carefully on the desk. "Did you fucking hear me you useless piece of shit! Get the fuck out here!" Sollux didn't move. He couldn't hear anything other that the heavy breathing of his uncle and the soft sound of music still coming from his head phones. "Fine. You don't want to come out here and save your friend! Let's see if you'll save him when he's screaming for you and begging for me to stop." Sollux heard his uncles fist make contact with something and heard a large breath of air be released from someone. He heard someone other than his uncle moan in pain and the solid thud of something hitting the ground. Sollux stood from his chair pushing it back letting it fall to the ground. He heard his uncle move across the carpet on the other side of his door and heard someone scream as his uncle began to kick him. Sollux moved quickly across the room placing his hand on the knob.

A soft ringing began in another room down the hall and Sollux heard his uncle whisper to the other person. "If he's not outside when I come back. I'll beat you until you're within your last inch of your life."

He heard his uncle shuffle down the hall and another door close. Sollux quickly unlocked the door and swung it open. "Karkat?!" Karkat sat up slowly and Sollux reached down dragging him to his feet and pulling him inside the room. Quickly closing the door and locking it again. He turned to face Karkat confusion on his face in spite of his anger. "What are you doing here? Why did you let him do that to you? Why didn't you run?"

Karkat wiped some blood away from where if dripped from his nose, frowning up at Sollux. "I came to ask you if you wanted to go on a vacation. I'm taking some friends away to a small cabin in the woods. I figured you might like to go."

Sollux shook his head laughing. "You came here. Got the shit beat out of you by my uncle and still want to know if I'll go with you to a cabin in the woods?" Karkat nodded slowly looking at Sollux as if he was an idiot. "Yeah. Okay. I'll go with you." But how are we going to get past my uncle?"

Karkat pulled out his phone and dialed Terezi's phone number. She picked up on the third ring. "Hello?"

"Terezi. It's me. I need you ask Kankri to come around the side of the house? The side with the huge tree." He spoke quickly into the phone staying quiet.

Terezi spoke to someone on the other end. Karkat guessed it was Kankri and the Terezi laughed. "He'll be out there in a second. Why though?"

"You'll see in a moment." He hung up the phone sliding it back into his pocket. He looked back over at Sollux. "Pack a bag. Fast." Sollux nodded his head and grabbed his backpack and dumped all his school stuff out onto his bed. He ran to his closet and started throwing clothes into it.

"How long are we going to be staying?" Sollux asked as he opened up his dresser.

"A week at the least." Karkat answered.

Sollux looked over to his laptop that still sat open on his desk. He grabbed another bag and threw it in along with his charger.

"Don't forget your pillow and blanket. I'm not sure I have enough." Sollux nodded and folded his blanket setting his school stuff aside. The banging on the door began up again and Sollux's uncle sounded madder than he had been ealier.

"I think that's everything." Sollux said Karkat nodded walking over to the window. It was large and took up over half of the wall. He slid it open and looked down. Kankri stood leaning against the large leafless maple tree the sat between Sollux's and Karkat's houses.

Karkat looked over there was a conveniently placed branch growing straight out about a foot from Sollux's bedroom window. "Kankri!" Karkat called down. He prayed that Sollux's uncle hadn't heard him. "Up here!" Kankri looked up and waved.

"Why'd you need to ask me to come over here? If you are planning on sneaking your friend out I wont take part in it. There is just no way I'm going to get-"

"Will you just shut up and help us!" Karkat said. He walked away from the window and grabbed Sollux's backpack he looked back out the window. "Catch!" He tossed it down and Kankri caught it. He hung it on a small branch that hung out a little ways from the tree. Karkat walked away again and grabbed Sollux's laptop bag. Sollux jumped for it not wanting to see it tossed from the window but Karkat glared at him. "Toss it or not take it?" Sollux backed away frowning. Karkat stuck his head back out the second story window. "This is his laptop. Be careful!" He tossed it and watched and Kankri caught it hanging it on the same branch as Sollux's backpack. Kankri gave a thumbs up and Karkat rolled his eyes. He grabbed Sollux's pillow and blanket throwing the blanket first followed quickly by the pillow. He watched Kankri almost not catch the blanket and laughed. "That's all! Can you take it inside. Thank you!"

Kankri grabbed all the stuff in his arms mumbling to himself and headed back towards the house. Karkat turned towards Sollux. He was frowning. "Now how are we getting down." He said it just loud enough to be heard over his uncles yelling.

Karkat climbed out the window onto the thick branch of the tree. "We climb!" He started to climb quickly down the tree. There was no ice on it and Karkat was glad for that. He didn't need to slip and break his neck. Sollux looked hesitantly out the window and climbed out onto the branch. He moved much slower than Karkat and I was obvious that he had never climbed a tree before.

_What a computer nerd. He's never climbed a tree before!_

Karkat made it to the ground and Sollux made it down not to long after. They looked up at the still open window and laughed. "We did it!" Sollux said. His face was a little red from the cold and he had goose bumps. He only had on a thin sweatshirt and jeans. Karkat tugged on his arm and dragged him towards his house.

"Come on let's go inside."

**A/N: I'm getting really frustrated with this website. It deletes my writings without my consent and is very uncooperative. I'm thinking of maybe posting instead to another website. But I am unsure about doing that. I'll have to think about it for a while and you'll know if I plan on doing that. XX))((XX**


	10. Mommy!

**A/N: I might not have the time to finish my story. I don't want to leave it without an ending. I don't want to leave it at all. So I'm going to try as hard as I can to continue. My life is going through hell right now. I'll be starting high school and college prep. I have to find a job so I can have money for drivers education and I also have to do 20 hours of volunteer work in an area where there is no place that will take volunteers under 18. My mum is dating a guy who treats her as if she is stupid and she doesn't understand that I'm trying to tell her that he's manipulating her. I get almost 3 hours on my computer a week now. In other words I am really busy. BUT... I will work as hard and as often as I can on this story because it is the one thing that is keeping me sane. Thank you for all the support and fan art. I would love some more of it. As much as possible! I will tag all of it once I have it. I have been also trying to get a hold of my animator friend but it seems she is unreachable. I have gotten several requests from other friends to make this into an animation. At least some parts of it. So if you want to see that or would like to animate it, post a review or PM me. I'll make sure to keep everyone informed. Here's chapter Ten! Finally! ENJOY! :3 XX))((X**

Karkat looked at the clock that hung on the wall. It was almost six thirty and the house was filling up. Latula had left to the store to get food and Kankri had gone to get his SUV. Sollux was going to drive everyone to the cabin and everyone who would be going was showing up at Karkat's house.

There was going to be ten people total going and that meant a lot of food and a lot of car room. Karkat's living room was filling up.

The TV was playing some stupid cartoon with dancing squids and Gamzee sat on a huge pile of blankets, covered in what looked to be type style clown faces drawn on with multiple colored sharpies, staring at the screen and singing along to the theme song. He had painted his face white making it look as if he had a clowns face. Next to him with his head in Gamzee's lap was a half asleep Tavros hugging an off white stuffed bull with little fairy wings tightly in his arms.

Leaning against the wall next to the front door was Terezi talking on the phone with Latula listing off things that she needed to buy. The good thing about Karkat's dad working for a huge big law firm was that Karkat got his own credit card. He had given it to Latula to buy the food with. He didn't want her to but it all out of her pocket. That wouldn't be right. Aradia sat at Terezi's feet talking to Sollux an open book sat in her lap. She was laughing and smiling and so was Sollux. He red and white bedding sat at her feet along with her backpack.

Karkat stood in the kitchen doorway watching the commotion in the living room. On the couch sat three of the friends Terezi had invited. A taller girl wearing strapless jade green shirt over black jeans and flats. He bright red over coat hung past her butt and stood out. She had short hair and wore green lipstick the same color as her shirt. Terezi had told Karkat her name was Kanaya and to be nice to her. She looked oddly familiar and Karkat couldn't figure out from where. In her lap was a blonde girl. She was twirling her hair in her finger as she talked to Kanaya. Her name was Rose. She was the daughter of the drunk lady at the front desk that Karkat had met earlier that day. She was also Kanaya's girlfriend. She wore a knee length gold dress that swayed a bit when she moved and she also seemed a bit drunk.

On the couch next to them was a girl named Jade. She was one of Rose's friends that Terezi had met through her and Kanaya. She was one of the people who had stuck by Rose her whole life. Never leaving her side.

Karkat looked around the room again. Someone was missing he counted heads. Only eight. Nine including his. He heard something shatter in the kitchen and he tuned to see a small girl bent over picking up pieces of a glass cup off the floor. She pulled her hand away from the glass with a gasp. She had cut herself on it.

Karkat shook his head and grabbed the broom. She didn't seem to have noticed him as he walked over. Karkat could see that she was crying. He tapped her shoulder and she got up not looking at him and hurried out of the room. Karkat couldn't tell who it was and he hurried to sweep up the glass. Once it was all cleaned up he walked out the back door. The girl had ran out there and he wanted to make sure she knew it wasn't a big deal that she had broken the cup.

She sat on the back porch Troll in her lap. She was petting him gently with her uncut hand. The snow was falling again and Karkat sat down next to her. She looked up and Karkat frowned down at her. "Nepeta?" Her cheeks were bright red and she pushed a curl behind her ear. Tears were still streaming slowly down her face and she smiled up at him.

"Hi Karkat." Her voice cracked and she began sobbing.

Karkat sat there awkwardly. Nepeta just continued to sob into her arms. Karkat could tell that she wasn't sobbing from cup because that would be stupid. He reached over and pulled her into his lap hugging her tightly. He felt bad and he didn't know what else to do. Nepeta wrapped her arms around him burring her face in his shoulder. "What's wrong? Can you tell me?" Karkat wasn't usually like this, but he couldn't just let her sit there crying.

It took Nepeta a moment but she pulled away long enough to speak. "You saw today how Equius-" He voice broke off with another sob but she tried to compose herself. After another moment she spoke again. "He beats people up all the time. And We've been dating for almost 3 years now... Last year he went to a party and got drunk. He drank all night and the next day was valentines day and I wanted to surprise him. I sat on his porch waiting for him and when he came home we went inside. I gave him his present and he didn't like it. He hit me. I thought it was because he was drunk and pushed it aside. It never stopped and he continues to hurt me. You saw this morning how possessive over me he is and how he hurts me and others." She wiped her tears away taking a deep breath. She was still sitting on Karkat's lap but he ignored it. "I don't want to be with him when he's like this. I just don't know how to get away. He'll hurt me and make my stay."

Karkat looked at her and sighed. "Go with a bunch of friends and have them be there for you. I'm sure you have friends that would help you. I mean if you're Terezi's friend then you have to have a bunch of friends. They'll protect you."

Nepeta shook her head. "You don't understand. I'm not safe." She reached up and pulled off her blue hat with the ears sticking out from under it. Where there should have been more curls was a bald patch covered in soars. "You see what I mean?" Karkat nodded and Nepeta broke down in tears again burring her face in his shoulder again.

"Avoid him as much as possible, okay? Stay around your friends." Nepeta nodded. She stood and wiped her tears away. Karkat heard a horn go off in the front yard and Karkat stood. "Let's go load up. We're leaving to the woods!" Nepeta laughed and they walked back into the house. Latula stood in the kitchen along with Kankri and they smiled at him.

Kankri walked over to them his arms full of pillows and blankets. "Here. I got these from the house just to make sure you guys all have enough. I'll call the school tomorrow and make sure everyone is excused for the week."

Karkat smiled at his older brother. "Thanks." Karkat walked past his brother and out into the living room.

His bags sat in his fathers arm chair and he picked them up along with the three heavy blankets he slept with every night. He walked over to TV and shut it off getting a verbal complaint from Gamzee. Karkat glared at him and walked over to the door. He had already put on his heavy boots and he stopped and turned back to face the living room and everyone in it. "Time to load up! We're not coming back until Friday! So if anyone of you morons want to come back any earlier then you're screwed. Let's go!" Karkat walked outside stepping off the porch and heading down the driveway. The snow crunched under his feet as he walked. He heard the others walking behind him and he smiled. Sollux walked hurriedly past him opening the back of Kankri's black SUV.

Karkat caught up and threw his stuff in the back pushing it down to make sure there was room fore everyone else's stuff. He went around the side of the SUV and jumped into the passengers seat waiting for everyone to finish packing up. After about ten minutes he heard all the door slam shut and the chatter began. Karkat looked over his shoulder.

The SUV was only made to hold eight people so Latula and Kankri were going to drive Gamzee and Tavros along with all the food to the cabin. They had already left and Karkat smiled. He never thought that Latula would agree let alone help with this. Ditching school. Taking a bunch of kids out so that they could go to a cabin in the middle of no where.

Sollux jumped into the drivers seat and smiled at Karkat. "You ready to go?"

Karkat didn't smile back he just nodded. Sollux's face dropped and he shifted into drive pulling out onto the road. Karkat leaned his head against the window and stared up at the sky. It was dark and he couldn't see the moon through the thick clouds. Even though Karkat had slept most of the day he started to drift off. The rev of the engine relaxing his nerves. Within minutes he was fully asleep.

_Karkat sat in a chair in the corner of a small office. He was eight years old and had just been in his first fight. There was people surrounding him, their faces blurry. Two people walked up and the others disappeared. Karkat recognized them as his mother and father. _

_"Come on Karkat." His mother said through clenched teeth. "It's time to go home." Karkat stood and his surroundings changed. He was now standing in the small living room of the house he had grown up in. His mother paced in front of him her heals clicking against the wood floor._ 'ClickClickClickClick'_ His_ _father leaned against the front door. His mother stopped moving and faced young Karkat. "What should your punishment be?" Karkat sat still looking up at his mother. Fear plain on his face. She smiled at him like any mother would at a young child. But her eyes read something other than love. "I don't believe I have a choice. If you're going to do bad stuff then you're going to get punished." She tied up her long hair in a bun. Karkat knew what was coming. He hated it. But he had no choice but to sit through it. _'ClickClickClickClick' _His mother walked over to the piano that sat in the corner picking up some sheet music and folding it into a tube. _

_She walked back over to Karkat. He reflexively curled up into a ball. His mother grabbed his by his hair dragging him off the couch onto the floor. She started beating him with the rolled up paper. It stung and Karkat cried out. "Mommy! Stop! You're hurting me! Stop it mommy! I'm sorry! I won't do it again. Please!" His mother didn't stop. She didn't stop even after the paper bent and she started beating him with her hand. Not until Karkat stopped screaming. Till he stopped begging. He lay there limp on the floor. Unable to move. It hurt to much. _

_He lay there still as he heard the clicking of his mother walking out of the room. He closed his eyes and when he opened them again he was on the top bunk of the beds he shared with Kankri. Crabdad stood there shaking them awake. He had to bags in his hands. Each of them full of clothes. Karkat sat up. "What's wrong Daddy?" He just shooshed him and helped him down off the bed. A 13 year old Kankri took the bags and Crabdad lifted Karkat into his arms. _

_"I need you guys to be really quiet. Okay? No noise at all." The two boys nodded their heads in agreement and they ran out of the room. They moved silently out of the house and into the dark alley that ran along the edge of their back yard. An old Cadillac sat on the other side of the small fence. The boys grandpa sat in the drivers seat. Kankri climbed into the back seat and Crabdad threw Karkat in next to him. He slammed the door and climbed into the front seat. Karkat's grandpa hit the gas. _

_As they drove away Karkat saw his mother standing in the back yard flipping them off. _

"Karkat. Wake up. Where am I going?" Sollux elbowed Karkat awake and he sat up in his seat. He looked out the window.

Sollux had pulled over and Karkat pointed to the right up ahead. "Go down that road for half a mile. Then there's going to be a sign that says 'Vantas'. Turn onto it. It will turn to dirt and there will be no street lights. That road will go for ten miles and then there will be a long driveway to go up. We'll be at the top of the hill so go there." Sollux laughed and Karkat sighed as the car started moving again. He watched out his window at all the passing trees.

_More fucking snow..._

**A/N: FAN ART! I've only gotten a few pieces! I'd love more. And I don't care how bad of an artist you think you are! If you want to do some fan art I'm not stopping you! I'll accept it all and I'm going to love every last piece of it! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I tried to make it good even though it was just put in to help make sense of other stuff and it was a bit slow. I hope it gave you some character development and understanding! Thank you for reading! XX))((XX**


	11. Why Karkat

**A/N: Whoever FFF is make an account and message me, we need to talk. Here's chapter eleven! ENJOY! HoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo****OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOnNnNnNnNnNnNnNnNnNnNnKkKkkK! XX))((XX**

Sollux pulled the SUV up in front of the cabin. The lights were on and Kankri stood by Latula's Volts Wagon, arms full of bags. Karkat opened the door as Sollux shut off the SUV and hurried over to Kankri taking some of the bags and heading inside. In the kitchen Latula was directing Tavros on where to put food away. Gamzee stood in the corner with a piece of an orange as a smile. Karkat set the bags full of food down on the counter and walked over to where Gamzee stood. His orange smile got larger and Karkat hit him on the back of the head. "Help out asshole!" Gamzee just laughed and started digging through the bags putting food up in the pantry. Kankri came in with more bags and started to help out with putting things away. It was all dealt with in a few minutes and Karkat headed back into the living room. Sollux stood by the couch with both his and Karkat's in his arms.

"The cabin has 5 rooms so everyone get's to share a room with someone else. Sorry for the inconvenience. In case you couldn't tell that was sarcasm. Choose a room and get your stuff set up in there. The last room on the left is mine and the last one on the right is Terezi's so go on!"

Everyone spread out. Terezi ended up rooming with Nepeta in her room. Gamzee and Tavros took the room that was usually taken over by Crabdad. Jade and Aradia chose Kankri's old room. Karkat could hear them laughing as they argued over who was sleeping on the floor. Rose and Kanaya decided to curl up in the guest bedroom that Karkat and Crabdad had built onto the side of the house a few summers ago. The only two left without room mates were Karkat and Sollux. Karkat flinched at the memory of the bathroom at the school.

_No! You will forget about that!_

Karkat walked over to Sollux taking his stuff from his arms. "I hope you don't mind rooming with me, Karkat. I mean with what happened earlier today..." Sollux trailed off as Karkat shook his head back and forth.

"Nothing happened. Nothing at all." Karkat hurried down the hall opening the door and throwing his bedding onto the queen size bed. There was already a pile of grey blankets at the foot of the bed and Karkat took those, spreading them out on the floor. He made the bed with his blankets he had brought over from his house and then waited for Sollux to finish making his bed where the blankets had been put on the floor.

Karkat looked up at a knock on the door. Kankri and Latula stood there, smiling. "Yeah?" Karkat asked.

Latula laughed a little. "We're going to get going. We'll be back up to help you guys pack up on Friday. Okay?" Karkat nodded. Latula opened her arms and Karkat walked over, hugging her.

"Be good and don't burn the cabin down. Dad would have a fit if he came home from Texas and had to do insurance paperwork." Kankri said laughing as him and Latula walked down the hall and out the front door. Karkat laughed. He could feel his throat becoming irritated again.

Karkat walked out into the kitchen. He took a deep breath. _You can make it through this. Just get through the week. Prove you're tough enough. Don't let yourself falter. Show strength. _Karkat reached up into the cupboard pulling down a cup and filling it with water. He sipped at it quietly breathing. He felt stressed and he didn't know why. Maybe this break from the rest of life would get his mind away from everything else.

_Relax._

Karkat was leaning against the counter watching as the others started shuffling into the kitchen. Gamzee walked over to him slinging his arm over his shoulder. "Guess what bestfriend?"

Karkat slid out from under his arm. Karkat hated the smell of weed and by the stench coming from Gamzee he had smoked some recently. "What? And you smell of weed. You'd better not smoke that shit inside." Karkat glared at Gamzee speaking quickly.

Gamzee laughed. "I won't. But I brought something else." Gamzee sets three tall bottles of vodka on the counter smiling. Karkat could here soft tinkling laughter as Kanaya and Rose set a handful of shot glasses on the counter along side the bottles.

Karkat stared at the alcohol with wide eyes. "Where'd you get this?"

Rose walked over. She walked in a sort of dancing motion, her hand almost never leaving Kanaya's. "Two are from my mothers alcohol cabinet and Gamzee brought the other one. Everyone at the school had heard about your little fight with the other new kid Dave, and we all thought it would be a good idea to give you a break. When you invited all of us we thought to bring a bunch of alcohol. That's not all of it." Aradia walked over setting a bottle of fireball on the counter and Jade brought over some Tequila.

Karkat's eyes almost jumped from his head. "I-I... WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU THINKING! I can't drink!" Karkat started shaking his head. "I can't handle alcohol. I'll make a fool of myself."

Tavros stood leaning against the wall just inside the doorway. "We'll all be drinking. So don't worry about it!" Karkat still shook his head as Rose walked over and started filling up and handing out shot glasses full of the fireball.

When it came Karkat's turn to take his glass he shook his head even more vigorously. Rose just laughed and places the shot glass in his hand. "Come on Karkat have some fun. Relax."

_Relax._

Karkat took a deep breath and nodded. Kanaya smiled and started the countdown. "First shot in three. Two. ONE!" Everyone's glasses went bottom up. It burned Karkat's throat.

He felt like throwing it all up, but Sollux came over and made Karkat stand up straight. "Don't. Keep it inside you. Don't throw it up." Rose filled up another shot glass handing it to Sollux. He put it in front of Karkat's face. "Take another." Karkat hurried, downing it. It still burned but not as bad. Everyone else took another and then Karkat took a third and a forth.

**A/N: I'm keeping this chapter short! You'll see why when I post the next chapter. Again I must say that who ever FFF is you need to message me so I can talk to you! You seem amazing so I want to talk. **


	12. In the woods?

**A/N: I left the last chapter short. Sorry... No I'm not! I wanted to end it quick and sharp so I could put everything into this chapter and have it work how I want it to. Love to all my readers I hope that you're still enjoying my story and that you won't give up on me yet! Thank you so much! Sorry that it's taking me so long to update. School started a while ago and I'm working to keep at least a 3.0 and at my school that's almost impossible. I would love to see more fan art. Please. I'm begging here. Anything? Please...? Anyways... ENJOY! :3 XX))((XX**

The party had moved into the living room. Karkat had taken at least another seven or eight shots. He had lost count after six. He sat on the couch watching as his friends made fools of themselves. He had prayed that he wasn't going to end up like that. Sollux sat next to him. He had taken only three shots and it seemed to be having no effect on him. Karkat didn't want to move. His head was blurry and him stomach was throbbing. He was going to puke. He knew that he couldn't keep it in his system. He didn't want to move but he jumped up quickly running into the bathroom and slamming the door closed behind him. He slid down in front of the toilet. everything he had taken into his system in the last few hours came up and he felt as if he was going to die. He hated puking. He hated not feeling good. He hated alcohol. His hair fell around his face as he bent over the toilet again.

He heard the door click open but he ignored it. He felt warm hands run over his cheeks and head gathering his hair up out of his face. He was still vomiting and he could feel his stomach clenching forcing the vomit out. He finished breathing deeply. He didn't take his head away from the bowl for a few moments. Karkat felt terrible as he remembered that someone was in the bathroom with him.

Karkat turned his head standing slowly. Sollux released his hair and Karkat frowned up at him. He grabbed a toothbrush out from in the drawers to the left of the sink and ran the water cleaning out his mouth of the terrible taste.

As Karkat turned off the water Sollux spoke. "Are you alright?"

Karkat turned on him glaring. "You guys convinced me to drink that poison." Karkat threw open the door hurrying out the front door and into the snow. Karkat didn't want to see Sollux. He didn't want to talk to him. He was frustrated and angry that he was so easily convinced to take in something as bad as alcohol. In his anger Karkat had forgotten to grab shoes or a coat. It was freezing outside and Karkat tried to act as if it didn't bug him.

The snow was falling silently around him. He didn't hear someone walk out after him. Nor did he stop walking. He continued bare footed out into the darkness. Cursing to himself. He walked for a long time and finally began to notice his teeth chattering and feel the cold sting in his feet. He stopped and looked around. He was surrounded by trees and behind him in the distance he could see the lights from the cabin. He could hear snow crunching under someone's boots and noticed a tall figure heading in his direction. Karkat could see that Sollux had followed him outside.

"Kk?" Sollux said. He sounded worried and scared. His voice made all of Karkat's anger fade. It still burned but Sollux had somehow made some of it melt away.

Karkat began to feel tired. He leaned up against a tree and slid down it slowly, wrapping his arms around his knees. "I'm sorry."

Sollux squatted down next to him placing his hand on Karkat's. "Are you okay?" Karkat didn't move his hand out from under Sollux's instead he turned it over winding his fingers in between Sollux's.

Karkat nodded. "I'm fine. What's left of the alcohol in my body has almost worn off." Sollux smiled and squeezed Karkat's hand.

_I'm an idiot. Why am I holding his hand! He's like John... When we were together. He was always so worried. But now he's... SOLLUX! Sollux isn't like that! Sollux is caring, considerate, and he has life harder than I do! At least... I think he does. His uncle... Sollux is nothing like John. But... Why do I feel like this... I can't possibly... I can't I won't be with him. Not after John..._

Karkat looked up at Sollux. He was smiling and his face was happy but his eyes. They were still dead.

Karkat had to admit he sure was good looking. Karkat couldn't deny that. At all. His dual colored eyes burned with sadness. "Captor?"

Sollux's face dropped slightly. Karkat looked scared he knew what he wanted to do but he didn't know if he should. Karkat rolled forward onto his knees pushing Sollux backwards onto his back.

Sollux's face was shocked as Karkat climbed over him getting close to his face place a hand on either side of his head. "I know I've made it clear how I feel about you and that I just went through a horrible break up, but I-" Karkat's words were cut off by Sollux's lips.

Karkat relaxed into the kiss as Sollux wrapped his arms around his waist pulling him down closer to him. Karkat parted his lips a bit and Sollux took advantage of that sliding his tounge in. Karkat and Sollux fought for dominance and to Karkat's frustration Sollux won.

Karkat could feel the cold snow on his back as Sollux rolled over so that he was on top. Their lips separated for just a second. "You really are seductive." Sollux laughed and brought his lips back to Karkat's. Through the cold Karkat could feel the heat from the kiss and it felt like he was burning. The passion was a surprise to Karkat. He didn't know how much he actually liked Sollux. He thought it was just the alcohol but this was more than just the drinks.

Sollux lowered himself and nipped Karkat softly. Karkat let out a small gasp and Sollux laughed. Karkat glared at him and Sollux laughed again. He pressed his body closer to Karkat's and he could feel what had become a full on boner.

Karkat wanted Sollux. All of him. His lips came to Sollux's collar bone and Karkat bit him a bit harder than Sollux had bit him. Sollux let out a moan and Karkat smiled kissing the spot where he had bit. Sollux reached down removing Karkat's shirt slowly.

"KAAAAARKLLLLLESSSSSS!" Karkat and Sollux stopped their grinding against each other and Karkat finally fully realized what was happening. He jumped quickly away from Sollux stumbling backwards into a tree. Terezi had stepped out of the cabin and was calling out for Karkat.

"I think we should head back." Karkat said. The blood rushed back to his head and he realized how cold it was. His teeth started to chatter and he slid back on his shirt. He couldn't bring himself to look up at Sollux as he stood and started to walk back out of the trees.

He could hear Sollux's boots crunching snow as they walked back to the cabin. Before they fully came out from behind the trees Sollux reached up taking Karkat's arm and swinging him around kissing him quickly. Karkat stood there for a moment in Sollux's arms.

"Karkles! Are you out here?" Karkat rolled his eyes and pulled away from Sollux stepping out from the darkness of the trees and into the light of the cabin's porch.

"I'm right here Terezi. Calm down." Karkat said.

Terezi looked to be only slightly intoxicated. "I just convinced everyone to go to bed and they're all out like a light. Why are you two out here?" Karkat thought she hadn't noticed Sollux but then he realized that was completely ridiculous. Terezi noticed everything. She was smiling like an idiot. Like she knew exactly what had happened. As if she knew that Karkat had almost broken his one absolute rule.

_God damn it! She probably does._

Sollux stepped up and spoke for Karkat saving his ass from the complete and utter humiliation of trying to think up a lie. "We just went for a walk to clear our heads. Karkat didn't react well to the alcohol."

Terezi nodded and frowned. "Alright. Well I'm going to go to bed. It's like almost four and I'm exhausted." Karkat nodded and Terezi hugged him good night.

Sollux and Karkat went inside right after her. Karkat went to the room that him and Sollux were sharing and changed into some pajamas. Sollux did the same thing and Karkat crawled into bed, just now realizing how tired he is. He started to drift off before he felt Sollux crawled into be with him. He felt his arms wrap tightly around him but Karkat was to tired to care so he rolled over and buried his face in Sollux's chest. He smelt like hot cocoa and vodka. Karkat smiled and fell asleep quickly.

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I kind of had to cut it off fast. I'll try to put up more and as often as I can! Love you guys! XX))((XX**


	13. Love is at a Loss

**A/N: Thank you. That's all I have to say. Some of my friends that I met through writing this story saved me from doing something I would really regret. I love you. If you want something to happen in the story PM me and I'll think about adding it in. All will be considered. ENJOY! XX))((XX**

Karkat yawned sitting up in bed knocking Sollux's arms off of him. Sollux mumbled something rolling over and pushing the blanket off of him. Karkat had a pounding headache as he looked over at Sollux. Shock resonated through him as he caught a grip on the situation.

"I know that I wasn't that drunk, but please tell me I didn't have sex with you last night." Karkat glared at Sollux. Sollux just sat up and laughed.

"No we didn't have sex last night." He said with an ever-present lisp. "But in the woods... That was something else." Karkat jumped up from the mattress looking at Sollux in surprise as his groggy mind started to remember what had happened the night before.

Alcohol.

Vomit.

The woods.

Sollux following him.

His soft lips.

How right it felt.

How wrong it was.

"We..." Karkat couldn't think. He couldn't speak. He couldn't comprehend how he felt. He knew how he wanted to feel. He just... "I'm sorry. It meant nothing. I'm just glad nothing actually happened."

He tried to show no emotion. To give no hint of what he was really thinking.

_I actually like him. No. I can't._

Karkat had moved hurriedly over to the bedroom door throwing it open and crossing the hall in a matter of seconds. He raised his fist banging it on Terezi's door. "Terezi! I need to talk to you."

The door flew open to reveal a half asleep Terezi. She was wrapped in her bathrobe. Behind her stood a groggy Nepeta. "What do you want Karkat? We were asleep."

Karkat went to tell her what happened but he just stood there opening and closing his mouth like an idiot.

Nepeta got the message because her face dropped and she spoke quickly grabbing her bag. "I'm going to go take a shower." Terezi just nodded her head. Her distant eyes never leaving Karkats face. Once Nepeta left Karkat stepped into the room grabbing onto Terezi's hand and dragging her the rest of the way into her room and shutting the door.

"Terezi-"

"I know that you two did something stupid last night and now you regret it. True?" Terezi spoke quickly.

Karkat was silent for a moment. "Yes. Well no. I mean. I just don't know."

Terezi's eyes rolled behind her glasses. "It's a simple question. Do you or do you not regret doing sexual stuff with Sollux Captor?"

"It wasn't really sexual stuff per say..." Karkat's face was bright red.

"Did you guys kiss." Terezi said this in a manor that was rather menacing.

"Yes. But that is not sexu-" Karkat was beginning to get frustrated and he said this with a tone of pure irritation.

"Did you guys kiss passionately?" Terezi was not going to give this up.

"Um. Yeah..."

"Then it was sexual!" Terezi said. The two were disarranged and just wanted to prove themselves right.

"No it fucking wasn't!" Karkat yelled.

"Kissing and grinding in any manor is still sexual!" Terezi yelled back.

"But that is not the matter at hand!" Karkat just wanted to tell Terezi his problem but he didn't know how he should go about that.

"It is now!"

"There is a bigger fucking problem here than that!"

"And what is that." Terezi said calmly.

"I HAVE FEELINGS FOR HIM!" Karkat yelled before thinking about it.

"FOR WHO!" Terezi yelled back.

"FOR SOLLUX!" Karkat stopped all to late.

_Fool._

"Oh." Terezi's face had dropped and she stood there completely in her own head.

Karkat walked over to her desk in the corner and sat down in the chair. "I don't know how it happened." Karkat could feel a silent tear roll down his cheek. "I just can't go through that again. He hurt me so bad..."

Terezi still stood by the door a frown clear on her face. She was thinking deeply. "I understand where you're coming from with this, but Sollux isn't John. He's nothing like him. Just because John did something bad to you doesn't mean that you can't trust anyone else." Terezi Walked over to the chair grabbing onto Karkat's arm lifting it up between them. The cuts on his arm were fully exposed. Karkat had forgotten about them. He had forgotten to cover them up. "I know that he had broken you. I know how bad it hurt. But Sollux will help you out of this insane place you're at. You just have to trust him. You have to trust me."

Karkat nodded and stood up. "I'm sorry. Thanks." Karkat hugged Terezi squeezing her tightly. "You are an amazing sister."

Terezi laughed as she pulled away. "I know I am. Duh. I have to be otherwise everyone around here would go insane." Terezi grabbed her bag of clothes from where it sat on the desk pulling out some warm clothes. "Go get dressed after breakfast we're going to build a snowman."

Karkat nodded laughing. "Okay. I will." He left the room quickly closing the door quietly. He could hear Terezi laughing as he crossed the hall back to his bedroom. He rapped softly on the door before walking in.

Sollux sat on the edge of the bad in a clean pair of sweats and an old soccer jersey. His glasses lay folded in his hand. He was hunched over the palms of his hands pressed against his eyes. Karkat closed the door softly and Sollux looked up at him.

His face was angry and his eyes were just as dead as they had been the day that Karkat had first met him. Sollux opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out for several moments. Karkat just stayed quiet. Sollux closed his mouth and took a deep breath. "If you don't like me, why do you keep making it seem as if you do? I don't understand."

Karkat's frown grew and he looked at Sollux with a pure serious face. "What is it? I just don't see why you might like me. I'm broken. I'm a pile of crap. I'm useless and everyone around me hates me. I don't understand either."

Sollux looked at Karkat as if he were an idiot. Karkat could feel frustration boiling up inside of him. He could feel the pain of his broken heart burning. He had loved John but somehow his unwanted love for Sollux felt different. It felt better. More right. "KK. We're both broken. That's why we get along. You helped me out of the bad spot I was in. I want to be the one to help you out of you bad spot. I like you for not being afraid of who you really are. You make it seem as if you don't care about anyone and yet that's all you do. You care and you help. That's why I like you." Sollux finished with a smile and Karkat saw him from a new angle.

Karkat laughed a smile grew on his face. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I'm such an ass. I want to be with you. I do." Karkat was still smiling. Sollux was an amazing person and Karkat wasn't going to get away without him. "I will be with you on one condition."

Sollux's face dropped but he was still smiling softly. "What is it?"

"If you ever don't feel the same as you do now. If you ever feel like you don't like me anymore. Can you please just tell me?" Karkat was one hundred percent serious as he said this.

Sollux had stood up as Karkat talked and he walked over to him pulling him into his arms. "Of course. I won't hurt you like that other boy did. Ever." Karkat smiled and wrapped his arms around Sollux burying his face in his chest.

"Thank you."

**A/N: There you go! They are now in a relationship. I hope you guys liked that chapter. It was kind of odd but I tried to write it well. Thank you for reading. XX))((XX**


	14. Snow

**A/N: I hope you guys are liking my story. Love you. Here's chapter 14. Also I finally got over 3000 views and I'm really excited to see if anyone wants to do any fan art. I'm glad you all are enjoying the story as much as you are! I'm having some trouble writing lately but I'm pushing through it... I'll try and update every weekend because of school but I might not have the time for it every weekend what with school and work. But anyways... ENJOY! XX))((XX**

The snow had been falling all morning and Karkat watched it out the window as it fell. Jade and Nepeta had been cooking for the last hour. The counter was beginning to fill up with delicious foods. Bacon, sausage and eggs sizzling in pans on the stove. Crapes, pancakes and waffles piled high on a platter on the island in the middle of the kitchen. Hash browns cooked golden on a plate. Syrup jellies and Peanut butter lined up in rows on the table.

Karkat's stomach growled. Jade refused to let Karkat touch any of the food till it was all done. Another dyeing whale sound came from his stomach and Karkat fell forward letting his head smash into the table. "UGGG!" Karkat grumbled. "Let me eat! Please? I'm starving!"

Jade laughed and shook her head. "No. Not until I'm finished."

Karkat grumbles again and stands up from his chair. "Fine. Just call me in when you're done." Jane nods and Karkat leaves the kitchen. His head was pounding as he collapsed over the arm of the couch and into Gamzee's and Tavros's laps.

"Hey motherfucker! What's wrong?" Gamzee honked and Karkat growled.

"I'm fucking starving!" Karkat sighed and rolled off the couch onto the ground. He lay there listening to Tavros and Gamzee talk about rap. It was really annoying and Karkat dozed off. After a while he heard Jade yell out for Everyone to come and eat. Karkat rolled over onto his back to stand up but was pushed back down by Sollux.

His hair was damp and hung down in front of his face. He was smiling the largest smile Karkat had ever seen on him. He laughed as Karkat growled at him. "Get off of me you ass hole!"

Sollux just laughed again and put his forehead against Karkat's. "But what would the fun of that be?"

Karkat glared up at Sollux. He looked so happy and Karkat couldn't help but smile. "The fun would be that I'd get to eat." He laughed and then sat up a little bringing his cold lips to Sollux's warm ones. "How was your shower?"

"Warm." Karkat laughed and Sollux stood up pulling Karkat up with him. "Let's go eat."

They walked into the kitchen, each grabbing a plate and loading it with food. Everyone else had already dished up but there was still tons of food. Karkat took advantage of that piling his plate with twice as much food as he would normally eat.

The table was crowded so Karkat and Sollux just cleared a spot on the counter and sat up there. Everyone was stuffing there faces and talking about random crap that seemed to have no meaning.

Karkat finished eating and rinsed his dishes placing them in the dish washer. He stared out the window over the sink watching the snow fall. In the winter it seemed as if the white fluff would never stop falling. Karkat felt someone grab his hand and looked over his shoulder to see Sollux. He bent down and whispered into Karkat's ear. "Come on." Karkat looked at Sollux questioningly and followed Sollux out into the living room. No one noticed as they slipped into the bedroom to change into some warmer clothes.

~~~~~BLARG BAR~~~~~

Karkat ran over the hill behind the cabin and into the woods laughing. He loved the snow. Sollux walked quickly right behind him and Karkat sped up trying to make it out into the woods before someone could spot them from the cabin.

When Sollux thought they were far enough he reached forward and grabbed Karkat's hand. Karkat was jerked backwards into Sollux's arms and he felt Sollux's warm lips press against his roughly. Karkat was still confused by his choice to be in this relationship but he knew that he wanted this. He wanted all of it.

Sollux could be his.

Only his.

Karkat stood on his toes his hands on either side of Sollux's head bringing his face closer. Their lips didn't break as they stood in the falling snow. It was cold but the heat radiating off of the boys pulsed and Karkat felt the happiest he had been in a long time.

Karkat pulled away and smiled up at Sollux laughing. "Damn. I never would have thought you were actually a good kisser."

Sollux smiled and released his arms from around Karkat's waist. "I don't think I've ever been told that before." He was breathing heavily, his breath materializing in the air in front of him. His blue and red stained glasses fogging up in the cold air. Karkat laughed again and fell to the ground dragging his arms and legs through the thick snow making a snow angel.

"Don't tell anyone, but I fucking love the snow!" Karkat stood and observed his work. It didn't look right so Karkat bent down and drew a pair of horns on the head of the angel.

"Why the horns?" Sollux asked.

Karkat smiled up at Sollux. "Every angel had a little bit of the devil inside them. In my case there is more devil than angel." Karkat just stood there staring at the snow angel. He felt something cold slide down his back in between his heavy coat and back. He whipped around letting out a squeak.

"SOOOOOOLLLLLUXXX!"

Sollux had backed away, laughing like an idiot. Karkat smiled and bent down picking up a handful of snow and packing it down in his hands. He didn't even aim as he threw it, hitting Sollux right in the stomach.

It ended up being the most amazing snow ball war in history.

By the end Karkat had scurried up a tree and now sat on the highest branch. It was a bit thin but seemed to be strong. Karkat held his breath trying to avoid laughing as he watched Sollux searching for him on the ground below.

"KK? Where did you go?" Sollux called out. Karkat snickered and quickly bit his tongue. He had just barely made it up the tree before Sollux could see him, and he wasn't going to get caught.

He didn't hear the cracking coming from the branch he lay on.

"Karkat! Come on out!"

_Crack..._

"I'm getting worried! Please come out?"

_Crack..._

Karkat smiled and opened his mouth to reveal his hiding spot.

_CRACK!_

"SOLLUX!" Karkat screamed out as the branch suddenly broke underneath him.

Sollux looked up in surprise. His face quickly changed to fear as Karkat fell from seventy feet up in the air and directly onto him.

The snow was cold. It seemed to envelope Sollux and Karkat as the felt the sore, throbbing pain pulsing through their bodies. They felt broken and they closed their eyes slowly drifting off into a silent sleep.

**A/N: Keep reading my friends. Don't give up now. XX))((XX**


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